News: RIO Serbia wants talks with Rio Tinto over Jadar lithium project

BELGRADE, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Serbia wants to hold further talks with Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto RIO.L (RIO) about its lithium project in the country, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday, adding that there should also be more public discussion over whether it should go ahead.

Belgrade revoked licences for Rio's $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project in Western Serbia in January 2022 after massive environmental protests. If completed, the project could supply 90% of Europe's current lithium needs and help make the company a top 10 lithium producer.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Vucic said he had "a difficult conversation" with representatives of Rio Tinto earlier on Wednesday.

"We are facing the question of whether the company will file a lawsuit against us or not," Vucic told Serbian reporters. "I asked them not to take measures to protect their interests."

In 2021 and 2022, Serbian environmentalists collected 30,000 signatures in a petition demanding that parliament enact legislation to halt lithium exploration in the country.

Green activists have repeatedly warned that the mining projects will cause more pollution in Serbia, already one of Europe's most polluted countries.

Vucic said he had sought Rio's assurances about environmental standards and said that the next government - expected to be formed by May following December elections - should address the issue.

"(Rio) must offer the cleanest solutions which could be satisfactory to our people, the highest standards in the world for the nature and the people who will work there," he said.

Rio Tinto did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company maintains that it is committed to the Jadar project, where it still owns the land it acquired to develop it.

To bolster economic growth and revenue, the Serbian government has offered mineral resources to foreign investors including China's Zijin 601899.SS copper miner and Rio.