SKOPJE (AP) - The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)’s conservatives began seeking coalition partners yesterday, after leading in national elections seen as crucial for the country’s hopes to eventually join the EU and NATO. Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE party won the most votes but failed to gain an outright majority and will have to form a coalition with an ethnic Albanian party. Trying to shake off its nationalist past, the party said it would join forces with anyone except the outgoing Social Democrats provided they accept its economic program.

NATO “cannot afford to lower its guard” in Kosovo and will keep its troops there, Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said yesterday. “Important talks are going on about the future status of Kosovo,” Scheffer said in Athens after meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis. “NATO will have to stay there, NATO cannot afford to lower its guard, (it) will have to stay there on the basis of its present strength, and NATO will certainly not slam the door behind it” once the procedure is complete, he said. (AFP)

Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu’s National Liberal Party (PNL) said yesterday it would maintain its proposal to withdraw the country’s troops from Iraq despite a rejection by the Supreme Defense Council (CSAT). “The PNL has decided to uphold its proposal to withdraw the Romanian contingent from Iraq and to launch an information and debate campaign on the issue,” the party said in a statement. (AFP)

Dracula’s eternal sleep can remain undisturbed after Romanian authorities decided to scrap a project for an amusement park dedicated to everybody’s favorite vampire. Following a plague of difficulties, the Romanian government spelt the death of the theme park project in Snagov. (AFP)

Serbia will ask the EU for more economic cooperation and fewer travel restrictions for its citizens wishing to visit the bloc, even while pre-entry talks remain suspended over war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic, Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic said yesterday. “The EU sets the terms for concluding the agreement, but we will not sit idle” while the search for Mladic continues, Dinkic said. (AP)

Over 4,000 miners marched yesterday in the southwest city of Petrosani to call on the government to support their struggling industry and raise their wages. “We want a clear strategy for the mining industry,” said union leader Marin Condescu. He said workers wanted better conditions and early retirement. (AP)