Serbian FM to Be Sacked over Nobel Peace Prize Boycott - Report

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic is to be removed from his position by PM Boris Tadic after intra-party elections following Saturday, reports Serbian agency Blic.

Citing "sources close to the cabinet," Blic writes that one of the reasons behind that move is Jeremic's allegedly self-willed decision to back the China boycott of 2010's Nobel Peace Prize award. That action had not been consulted with the cabinet and ran counter to its intentions.

In October the Nobel committee had announced that Chinese dissitent Liu Xiaobo, who is under detention in his country, would be this year's holder of the peace prize.

That decision infuriated China, which not only staged a boycott campaign pressuring other governments not to attend, but also refused to let Xiaobo or his representative attend.

According to Blic's information, it was not the intention of the Serbian government not to attend, but Jeremic self-willedly took that decision.

The Tadic cabinet is also reportedly unhappy with other foolhardy actions on the part of its foreign affairs minister, including rashly depositing a declaration on the status of Kosovo to the UN General Assembly.

The Serbian government is reported to be worried that Vuk Jeremic's actions might endanger its intentions to forge stable good relations with the EU in a bid to become a full member.

Blic writes that the most probable candidate to replace Jeremic is the political director of the foreign affairs ministry Borko Stefanovic.

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