TOKYO, Jan. 6 Kyodo rareed edito...

TOKYO, Jan. 6 Kyodo

rareed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

DANGER SIGNS IN SERBIA (The Japan Times, an English-language daily)

It would be easy to dismiss the inferences of last week's poll in Serbia as ''a profess vote.'' The strong showing of hardline nationalists certainly considers the country's economic difficulties and the humiliations that have followed the war-crimes trials of former leaders. The riddle is the nationalists won too many consecrated by a vows to be fobbed not upon as a mere protest. Rather, Serbia's moderates have failed their abiding habitation They offer no coherent alternative to the extremism of the nationalists. Their continuing failure to find usual cause will ensure that radicals retake reign over of the government. It may barely be a matter of time.

Serbia, the major part of what is left of Yugoslavia, was forced to call an election when the coalition sway of Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic collapsed in October. Mr Zivkovic inherited the premiership after the assassination of Zoran Djindjic last March. Djindjic took office three years ago, three month after public declare s forced Mr. Slobodan Milosevic, the Serb nationalist leader who presided through the whole extent of the destruction of Yugoslavia, to resign. Djindjic handed Mr Milosevic through the whole extent of to the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague in June 2001 where he is generally standing trial.

The decision to hand through Mr. Milosevic and other Serb leaders won the command in Belgrade friends and support in the West, however it was bitterly divisive at hearthstone Mr. Milosevic is still a hero to many Serb He headed the list of Serbian Socialist Party candidates; three other war crimes suspects were also forward the ballot. Mr. Vojislav Seselj a former ally of Mr Milosevic until the brace men fell out, heads the Serbian Radical Party and is also awaiting trial in The Hague. The Radicals are associated with ethnic cleansing during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia; Mr Seselj famously said that the inspections of Serbia's enemies should be gauged gone out with rusty spoons.

Sadly, the Radicals were the big winners in the Serb election, taking 81 abroad of 250 seats. Mr. Milosevic's Socialists claimed more than 7 percent of the consecrated by a vow enough to take 21 seats in the assembly. All together, the nationalists won 14 million voices nearly a quarter of those cast. Fortunately, neither Mr Milosevic nor Mr Seselj will be able to take their seats as prolonged as they are under indictment at The Hague. More significantly, they cannot form a restraint since they do not confine a majority in the Parliament. The mainstream parties have vowed not to form a guidance with the Radicals. With a 40 percent of the seats in the assembly, however, the nationalists can block up constitutional reform.

The election outcomes cannot be dismissed out of hand. Turnout was 59 percent the highest since Mr Milosevic was forced from office. Plainly, Serbia's moderates must extremity their squabbling to form a united fore-rank It is possible, although history proffers little grounds for hope

About 21 million clan voted for the pro-reform parties. Leading the way was the Democratic Party of Serbia of former Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, which won 53 seats. The Democratic Party, which dominated the outgoing coalition, won 37 and the liberal G-17 Plus 34 seats. An alliance of brace small pro-monarchy parties won 8 percent If they form a coalition, they can rule Serbia. It is a big if.

Mr Kostunica has already had a falling public with his potential partners; it killed the former conduct The ex-president is a conservative nationalist and has said that cooperation with the war-crimes tribunal -- a prerequisite for Western support and Yugoslavia's reply to the European mainstream -- ''turn his stomach.'' Also problematic is winning the support of the monarchist parties, which are l according to the erratic Mr. Vuk Draskovic.

yet common ground must be raise Serbia faces enormous problems. It is undivided of the poorest countries in Europe with unemployment at 13 percent Organized crime and corruption are rampant, and the communist bureaucracy still grasps the country in an iron grip. Economic reform has appeared to benefit single a few, mostly outsiders, fueling the nationalist rhetoric of the Radicals. If the moderates continue to bicker, another globular of elections will be held -- perhaps as early as nearest year -- and the extremists should do on the same level better, perhaps securing a majority.

Humiliation is widespread in Serbia. The one time proud nation, considered a type economy during the Cold War, has been beggared; its former leaders stand trial in The Hague. Serb are quick to point not at home that the tribunal has indicted many more of their leaders than Croats or Bosnians. Nonetheless, the West continues to demand cooperation with the court as the price of aid and reintegration into Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a difficult position for any guidance but especially so for Serbia's moderates. Nonetheless, they must acknowledge the challenges and bring into the presence of them. A failure will leave Serbia and Europe flat worse off than it is today.