"Goal to have Kosovo neither here nor there"
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"Goal to have Kosovo neither here nor there"

Б 92   | 23.03.2008.


  Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić says that the attempt to create the "state of Kosovo" is a stragic mistake.

"Our idea is to prevent an international and legal confirmation of Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence. Therefore, we will continue to do all to limit the number of countries that recognize it, and to keep Kosovo from joining key international organizations," the foreign minister told Glas Javnosti daily.

"Once we have succeeded at this, and when it turns out Kosovo is in some sort of a 'neither here nor there' status, which is not sustainable in the long term, reason will prevail in the international community will, I hope, and they will say, this is unsustainable, we will have to find a new solution. We have tried to impose something on Belgrade, it didn't work, let's get back to the negotiating table and find a solution that will be acceptable both for Belgrade and Priština," he continued.

He added that the Ministry of Foreign affairs has sent letters to 23 international organizations warning that their statutes and principles must prevent them from accepting Priština's possible membership applications.

"It is very important for us to consolidate a majority that does not accept Kosovo's independence, to gather it in a bloc that will be larger that the group of countries that do. The best way to achieve this is to, at the UN General Assembly in September, where each country has one vote, put our proposal up – a proposal to seek the opinion of the International Court of Justice".

"This is when everything would be even more in the field of international law, which works in our favor. I believe that we would make an important tactical and diplomatic victory in this way," Jeremić said.

Speaking about the countries in the region, he said Belgrade expected Romania, Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina not to recognize Kosovo's unilateral secession, adding that he hoped Montenegro would not make such a move either, "although pressure on it is fairly great".

As for the deadly violence in Kosovska Mitrovica on March 17 this year, when UNMIK and KFOR troops stormed a local court, while Serbs answered with riots, Jeremić said Serbia's UN ambassador has been instructed to go to the organization's general secretariat every day and seek answers, "so that what took place does not fade away and is forgotten".

"Because, what we saw on March 17, is a recipe for disaster," Jeremić added.

One UN policeman died, while one Kosovo Serb is still in a coma after the violence Monday.

"For this reason, we must find ways to reestablish trust between UNMIK, Kosovo Serbs and the Serbian government. We must calm the situation, because, whatever happens in the political scene, lives must not be threatened," the head of Serbia's diplomacy said.

"It would be good if UNMIK and Belgrade were to find some common ground and sign an interim agreement that would clearly define mutual cooperation in this new situation, so as to avoid new conflict with unforeseeable consequences," Jeremić said.

He also added the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), initialed by Belgrade and Brussels last November, in its Article 135 "clearly defines that Kosovo will be treated according to Resolution 1244".



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