Speaking during a visit to Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, President Marovic said that he regretted “every evil act or misfortune that anyone in Bosnia-Herzegovina was exposed to because of Serbia-Montenegro”. He said that it was now up to politicians to create an “atmosphere of forgiveness”.

The gesture of reconciliation came after an exchange of apologies earlier this year with President Mesic of Croatia when he visited Belgrade.

In spite of the handshakes and kind words, Belgrade is still at odds with Zagreb and Sarajevo over claims for war reparations, while tension between Serbia and Bosnia has been fuelled by Serbian nationalists’ requests that the Serb-run half of Bosnia, the Republika Srpska, eventually becomes part of Serbia.

Bosnian official circles are also unhappy about what is seen as official Serbian complicity frustrating the arrest of General Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander wanted for trial by the international war crimes tribunal.

But Mr Marovic, a Montenegrin compromise choice to head the loose federation set up when the rump Yugoslavia was abolished last year, said that “both sides must be brave, and we must help each other to heal these wounds”. He hoped that his apology would improve relations between the two countries.

Mr Marovic was in Sarajevo for a meeting of the Interstate Council, a body created in 2001 to improve relations between Serbia-Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Participants signed agreements on scientific co-operation and easing travel restrictions.

His apology came as campaigning ended yesterday for a Serbian presidential election to be held on Sunday as part of efforts to fill the political power vacuum in the republic sparked by the assassination of Zoran Djindjic, the pro-Western Prime Minister of Serbia.

In another move to break more than six months of political stagnation that has obstructed economic and political reforms in Serbia, Zoran Zivkovic, the Prime Minister, announced yesterday that parliamentary elections would be held on December 28, almost a year ahead of schedule.

The move also comes in anticipation of a no-confidence vote due next week, which the embattled pro-Western Government formed after Dr Djindjic’s assassination seemed likely to lose.

Dr Djindjic’s Democratic Party has lost popularity under Mr Zivkovic, a former Mayor of the southern city of Nis, who has been accused of using a crackdown on organised crime after the assassination to settle scores against political enemies.

Opinion polls have suggested that turnout in the contest on Sunday would not reach the 50 per cent threshold required under Serbian law.

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