Liberals to quit Serb coalition, may mean election

BELGRADE, Sep 28 (Reuters) Four ministers of the liberal G17 Plus party in Serbia's ruling minority coalition will submit letters of resignation to Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica tomorrow, a senior party source told Reuters.

If accepted, their move would bring down the two-and-a-half year-old government, triggering a snap general election which media reports speculate could be held in December.

The liberals' decision, of which they warned four months ago, is linked to a freeze imposed on talks with Serbia by the European Union because it has failed to arrest war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime commander.

The liberals hold the finance, health and agriculture portfolios in Kostunica's cabinet and Ivana Dulic-Markovic of G17 Plus is also deputy prime minister.

REUTERS SP HT1830