TIRANA, May 12, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- The Macedonian government Monday welcomed the outcome of Serbia's general elections Sunday, promising to cooperate with any future government, according to news reaching here from Skopje.

"The Macedonian government respects the choice of the Serbian people, and we will cooperate with any democratic and legitimate government of the country," government spokesman Ivica Bocevski said.

Near-complete official results released Monday showed President Boris Tadic's pro-Western coalition had gained 39 percent of the votes, while the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party ran a distant second with 28.6 percent.

But the coalition is short of a majority to form a government and the disgruntled nationalists have pledged not to give up.

The coalition, despite its opposition to Kosovo's independence, favors a speedy integration with the EU as it believes EU membership would help strengthen Serbia in the fight to maintain Kosovo.

Bocevski said the result of the elections was a "strong signal that democracy and democratic values in the Balkans are deeply rooted," adding that the Balkans are on a safe path toward a European future.

Vojislav Kostunica, acting prime minister who triggered the elections by breaking with the president over Kosovo independence, saw his conservative bloc get around 11 percent.

Macedonia, which broke from former Yugoslavia in 1991, is itself embarking on early parliamentary elections, which are set for June 1.