(AGI) Pristina, Nov 23 - NATO has lifted a ban on over-flyingpart of Serbia. Air traffic restrictions were introduced in1999 for a 25-kilometre area up to the border with Kosovo. Thedecision follows cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia toimprove relations. Serbian authorities have unlimited access tothe area, but a no-fly zone could be reintroduced for securityreasons. The technical agreement was signed by multinationalKFOR-NATO Troop Commander General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta andSerbian Deputy Joint Force Commander Slavoljub Janicijevic. Itis considered to be a major step forward in bringing Balkanairspace into line with the rest of Europe. KFOR command saidit is a testament to full integration in managing Europeanairspace and evidence of good relations between NATO andSerbia. Formally returning airspace to Serbia is "confirmationof the progress achieved by the country since 1999, when thetechnical military agreement between the NATO security forceand the Federal Yugoslav Republic government and the Republicof Serbia was signed," said Gen Miglietta. It was authorised bySecretary General of the Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg,and marks "a further and historic step towards the completeintegration of Serbia into the European airspace". It remainsto be seen if Serbia will open up lower-level space overKosovo, which would allow commercial airlines to fly direct,short routes. (AGI). .