(ANSA) - BELGRADE - The prospects for European integration of Serbia and the other Western Balkan countries, enhancing political dialogue within the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the future activity of this organization were the key issues of talks that the new CEI secretary general Roberto Antonione had on Thursday in Belgrade.

The Central European Initiative, said Antonione in the meeting with Ljubisa Stojmirovic, MP who is responsible for relations with the CEI, strongly supports Serbia's path towards EU membership, and hopes for its acceleration. ''Serbia is a key country and a stabilizing factor in the Balkans, the Balkans are part of Europe, and we will continue to support the accession process until the Balkan countries become part of the European family'', said Antonione. Stojmirovic underlined that Serbia, when the Yugoslav Federation still existed, was one of the founding countries of the CEI and in this capacity it participates actively in the organization and implementation of CEI financed projects. Antonione also met with Dejan Ralevic, a diplomat and senior official of the foreign ministry. Roberto Antonione was elected new general secretary of the CEI in the annual summit in Zagreb last December, when Italy took over from Croatia the rotating CEI presidency. The Central European Initiative includes 17 countries. Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Poland, Rep.ceca, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania are EU members, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro are waiting to join the European Union and Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova are beneficiaries of neighborhood policies.

(ANSA).