BELGRADE, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Russia is seeking partners

for U.S.-sanctioned Serbia-based oil company NIS in a

bid to resolve a stand-off with the United States over its

Russian ownership, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said on

Wednesday.

NIS, which operates Serbia's sole refinery, is 44.9% owned

by Russia's Gazprom Neft and 11.3% by Gazprom

, while the Serbian government owns 29.9%.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control

initially placed sanctions on Russia's oil sector in January,

but for NIS they were postponed several times and finally came

into effect on October 8.

Banks have stopped processing NIS payments and Croatia's

JANAF pipeline stopped delivering crude oil to NIS.

"From what I hear ... they (the Russians) are seeking

partners, and I am glad that they have taken the situation

seriously," Vucic said in remarks carried by the pro-government

Informer TV.

"I believe that together with our American and Russian

friends we will succeed in resolving this, which would be a huge

relief for our country," he said, without elaborating.

Vucic also said he will have "important meetings" with the

officials from the European Union and Russia in the next two

days to discuss the fate of NIS.

On October 29, Serbia's energy minister Dubravka Djedovic

Handanovic said NIS refinery , which has an annual capacity of

4.8 million tons and covers most of Serbia's needs, will be able

to operate until November 25 without new crude supplies.

The refinery is located just outside the capital Belgrade in

the town of Pancevo.