Q:
A:
Serbia strongly devoted to EU integration
Belgrade,
13 March 2006
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica met today with a delegation of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which comprised heads of missions and representatives of more than 25 countries accredited to the UN Office in Vienna.
At a meeting with ambassadors, Kostunica said that respect for national minorities is highly important for the Serbian government and that the government is devoting a lot of attention to the improvement of minorities' status.
He said that the government's Council for National Minorities includes representatives of 13 national minorities and that they have an active role in the work of the Council when it comes to making decisions related to the status of national minorities in Serbia.
Kostunica also commended the beginning of direct talks on decentralisation in Kosovo-Metohija, held in Vienna. He stressed that the negotiating process should be continued and other issues discussed as well.
The Serb community in the province is in a very difficult position and has been deprived of essential human rights, he pointed out and added that the implementation of standards in the province has not gone very far, as can be seen in Kai Eide's Report.
The Prime Minister stressed that the solution to the future status must be based on the principles of international law, especially on the principle of inviolability of sovereignty and territorial integrity of internationally acknowledged states.
He said that it is necessary to reach a consensual solution to the Kosovo issue through dialogue and compromise and warned that any imposed solution would have serious consequences and could not be called a real solution.
The Prime Minister pointed out that Serbia is strongly determined to support the EU integration process and has already made considerable steps towards EU accession. The state union is the best framework for EU accession, said Kostunica and recalled that this is the position of authorities in Brussels as well. It is not good to have disintegration processes now that EU integration is at its peak in the Balkans, he concluded.
He said that the government's Council for National Minorities includes representatives of 13 national minorities and that they have an active role in the work of the Council when it comes to making decisions related to the status of national minorities in Serbia.
Kostunica also commended the beginning of direct talks on decentralisation in Kosovo-Metohija, held in Vienna. He stressed that the negotiating process should be continued and other issues discussed as well.
The Serb community in the province is in a very difficult position and has been deprived of essential human rights, he pointed out and added that the implementation of standards in the province has not gone very far, as can be seen in Kai Eide's Report.
The Prime Minister stressed that the solution to the future status must be based on the principles of international law, especially on the principle of inviolability of sovereignty and territorial integrity of internationally acknowledged states.
He said that it is necessary to reach a consensual solution to the Kosovo issue through dialogue and compromise and warned that any imposed solution would have serious consequences and could not be called a real solution.
The Prime Minister pointed out that Serbia is strongly determined to support the EU integration process and has already made considerable steps towards EU accession. The state union is the best framework for EU accession, said Kostunica and recalled that this is the position of authorities in Brussels as well. It is not good to have disintegration processes now that EU integration is at its peak in the Balkans, he concluded.
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