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Sarkozy’s recommendation unacceptable for Belgrade
Belgrade,
8 June 2007
Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic said today that the proposal forwarded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that the decision regarding the future status of Kosovo-Metohija be postponed for six months is completely unacceptable for Belgrade since it is deficient and involves the danger that the Albanian side may try to hinder any new negotiations which might begin.
Slobodan Samardzic
Author:
Tanjug
Last night, at the G8 World Economic Summit in Heiligendamm, Sarkozy recommended to Russian President Putin that taking any decision on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija should be postponed for six months, while allowing Belgrade and Pristina to come to an agreement.
According to Sarkozy in case no agreement is reached between Belgrade and Pristina after six months the solution based on the plan presented by Marti Ahtisaari should come into force, and this condition should be binding for Moscow.
In a statement to the news agency Tanjug, Samardzic said that the status of this proposal is unknown as yet. Russia has still not taken not a stand regarding it, as is the case with the entire group of G8 countries, and this matter will become clear today when a declaration is made at the summit, added Samardzic.
The Minister pointed to the fact that the first deficiency of this proposal is that it sets deadlines for any possible agreements and talks between Belgrade and Pristina.
He explained that that is not a good situation for conducting negotiations since any talks held will be pressurised by deadlines, adding that Belgrade always held the position that no artificial deadlines should be set, instead of that a reasonable deadline should be determined for resolving the issue.
According to Samardzic, the other deficiency in Sarkozy’s proposal is that it will oblige Russia to accept now that within six months, in case no agreement is reached between Belgrade and Pristina, the resolution based on Ahtisaari’s plan will be adopted.
That is something begin given to Russia as an obligation, but an even bigger problem is that in that case the Albanian side will once again have a reason to undermine negotiations, as it did during negotiations led by Ahtisaari, stressed Samardzic.
He explained that if the Albanian side knows that in case the negotiations fail the resolution on the independence of Kosovo-Metohija will be adopted, they will have no reason to negotiate seriously.
We have become more or less used to that and while dealing with that problem we negotiated for more than one year. It is completely senseless to repeat such talks for six months and due to that our side has no other option but to reject such a proposal, said the Minister.
He said that Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, during his meeting tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, will talk on additional initiatives, as well as regarding a concrete manner in which Belgrade’s initiative for new negotiations, which was directed to the UN Secretary General two weeks ago, could be properly fulfilled.
Samardzic said that certainly the two leaders will discuss how to find a good and viable solution for Kosovo-Metohija.
According to Sarkozy in case no agreement is reached between Belgrade and Pristina after six months the solution based on the plan presented by Marti Ahtisaari should come into force, and this condition should be binding for Moscow.
In a statement to the news agency Tanjug, Samardzic said that the status of this proposal is unknown as yet. Russia has still not taken not a stand regarding it, as is the case with the entire group of G8 countries, and this matter will become clear today when a declaration is made at the summit, added Samardzic.
The Minister pointed to the fact that the first deficiency of this proposal is that it sets deadlines for any possible agreements and talks between Belgrade and Pristina.
He explained that that is not a good situation for conducting negotiations since any talks held will be pressurised by deadlines, adding that Belgrade always held the position that no artificial deadlines should be set, instead of that a reasonable deadline should be determined for resolving the issue.
According to Samardzic, the other deficiency in Sarkozy’s proposal is that it will oblige Russia to accept now that within six months, in case no agreement is reached between Belgrade and Pristina, the resolution based on Ahtisaari’s plan will be adopted.
That is something begin given to Russia as an obligation, but an even bigger problem is that in that case the Albanian side will once again have a reason to undermine negotiations, as it did during negotiations led by Ahtisaari, stressed Samardzic.
He explained that if the Albanian side knows that in case the negotiations fail the resolution on the independence of Kosovo-Metohija will be adopted, they will have no reason to negotiate seriously.
We have become more or less used to that and while dealing with that problem we negotiated for more than one year. It is completely senseless to repeat such talks for six months and due to that our side has no other option but to reject such a proposal, said the Minister.
He said that Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, during his meeting tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, will talk on additional initiatives, as well as regarding a concrete manner in which Belgrade’s initiative for new negotiations, which was directed to the UN Secretary General two weeks ago, could be properly fulfilled.
Samardzic said that certainly the two leaders will discuss how to find a good and viable solution for Kosovo-Metohija.
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