Angela Merkel to visit Belgrade tomorrow, the meeting will focus on Kosovo

Angela Merkel will start an official visit to Belgrade on Tuesday, the first to Serbia by a German Chancellor in eight years.

Serbian President Boris Tadic will welcome Merkel on August 23, following weeks of hightened tension between Belgrade and Pristina over the troubled north of Kosovo, a subject which is likely to be at heart of discussions.

After the official welcome, Merkel and Tadic will have a meeting behind closed doors in the Palace of Serbia.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said that the German Chancellor will discuss international, bilateral and economic issues, bringing Serbia into the European Union and developments in the region, particularly in Kosovo.