The new United States administration will not have a substantially changed foreign policy on Serbia and the Balkans irrespective of whether Barack Obama or John McCain wins the presidential election, according to a Washington-based academic.

Serbia news agency Tanjug, in a report on October 31 2008, quoted National Defense University professor of political science Steven Meyer as saying this policy would not essentially change "and these issues will not be high on the list of priorities either".

In a report the same day, Serbian website B92, quoting Beta news agency, said that US ambassador in Belgrade Cameron Munter said that differences between Serbia and the US over Kosovo should not impede further co-operation.

Munter told Novi Pazar radio station Sto Plus and the Beta news agency that there were issues on which the US and Serbia were in complete agreement.

"I think we should concentrate on what we agree on, and that is integration into the European Union, prosperity and the nation's progress," Munter said.

The US could certainly help when it came to reform of the institutional system in Serbia, he said.

Asked how much the differences over Kosovo could affect relations between Washington and Belgrade, Munter said that he believed that the issue could be discussed in an open and friendly manner.