Belgrade - Almost two thirds of Serbs want their country to join the European Union, survey of Serbia's European Integration Office showed Thursday.

Head of the office Milica Delevic told reporters in Belgrade that 61 per cent of Serbs wanted EU mwembership, while 17 per cent were against. If a referendum were called, 14 per cent would not vote.

One of Serbia's main goals is to join the EU. Key condition for that is the full cooperation with The Hague tribunal, and that includes arresting the Balkans most wanted war crimes suspect - Ratko Mladic.

A survey conducted in May showed Serbs find their government and the EU equally responsible for the slow pace of Serbia towards EU.

Some 50 per cent held the "EU's politics of blackmail and constant conditioning" as the reason for the slow progress, while 20 per cent believed it had to do with Belgrade's incompetence. Not fulfilling international obligations was a reason for
15 per cent.

A majority of 70 per cent knew that cooperation with the International tribunal in The Hague was a key condition to joining the EU, and 21 per cent believed recognition of Kosovo was also a condition - even though the West never mentioned it as such.

The Albanian majority in Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February last year. Serbia bitterly opposes it, even though a majority of EU states and the United States recognized it.

The survey also showed that 66 per cent believed the EU would pose new conditions for Serbia to joining the EU, while 24 per cent said the EU had clearly stated its conditions and would not pose new ones. Eleven percent said they did not know.

Earlier this week, EU foreign ministers said that the citizens of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro could be allowed visa-free travel to the EU.

A majority of 82 per cent believed that visa liberalisation was important, while 10 per cent believed it was not, and 8 per cent had no opinion on the matter.

Delevic also said that Serbs were realistic when questioned about visa-free travel in Europe - 17 per cent hopes that would happen by the end of 2009, 27 per cent by 2010 and 20 per cent by 2011. Twelve per cent thould it would never happen.

The survey, conducted in May, showed that 85 per cent of 1,023 surveyed had never traveled to the countries in the Schengen zone. (dpa)