Serbia appoints NATO ambassador

BELGRADE, Serbia, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Serbia Wednesday appointed Branislav Milinkovic as its ambassador to NATO as Belgrade prepares for the opening of its mission in Brussels, reports indicate.

The Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti said Milinkovic would probably submit his credentials to NATO by the end of the year as officials search for a Brussels location for the Serbian mission, the news Web site B92 reported.

The newspaper reported that a military representative would be sent to the NATO mission along with the ambassador, with Serbian Defense Ministry State Secretary Dusan Spasojevic saying changes and amendments to the country's Law on Defense and the Army will enable the selection of military staffers to be sent to Brussels.

"It is certain that our military official will be a general, who will be appointed by President Boris Tadic according to a recommendation by the Defense Ministry," Spasojevic told Vecernje Novosti. "In addition, there will be eight more officers in the mission, six from the military's jurisdiction and two experts in the field of defense policies."