Serbian Socialist Dacic becomes PM-designate

Serbian Socialist leader Ivica Dacic received a mandate on Thursday to form a coalition government with President Tomislav Nikolic's nationalist Progressive party, a move that may raise concerns about Belgrade's bid for EU membership. Dacic, whose Socialists came third in an inconclusive parliamentary election in May, had rejected proposals to revive a coalition with the liberal Democratic party and instead sided with Nikolic, who handed him the mandate after a brief meeting. Western diplomats, although likely to give the new bloc the benefit of the doubt, privately remain wary about the new rulers' commitment to advancing Serbia's European Union membership bid and mending relations with Balkan neighbours.