Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Constructive dialogue of Serbia and US important for continuation of Kosovo talks

Washington, 28 July 2007

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said last night in Washington, after the talks with US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice that Belgrade and Washington have established constructive dialogue again, but that differences in positions are great when it comes to the future status of Kosovo-Metohija.

Vuk Jeremic, left, and Condoleezza Rice

Author: AP

Jeremic said that Rice agreed that the new round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo Albanians should be used to seriously look for solutions that will not be determined in advance.

Serbia and the US share strategic interests - the creation of peaceful, prosperous Balkans integrated in the European Union, but differences arise when it comes to the status of Kosovo-Metohija, Jeremic said.

Before the meeting at the State Department with Condoleezza Rice, Jeremic addressed the press at the National Press Club in Washington and said that an imposed solution for Kosovo might jeopardise the progress which Serbia has made since 2000, and cause instability in the entire region.

The only way for making progress when it comes to Kosovo is that two sides work patiently together with the US, the EU, Russia and other parties in the international system on finding a solution that will be acceptable for all, Jeremic said.

A compromise solution should be based on a series of multilaterally accepted rules based on common values. One of those rules would be consolidation of democracy in Serbia as a crucial country of the region which can speed the region's accession into the EU.

If Serbia stumbles, the entire region will. Serbia's success is the only guarantee for the progress of the entire western Balkans so there is a realistic danger that Serbia's return to the recent past will push the region back into the 1990s, Jeremic said.

He warned that if Kosovo's independence is forced upon Serbia and without a decision from the UN Security Council, then a series of ethnic problems and divisions could come to the surface. Also, the doctrine of forceful division of internationally recognised states could become an accepted norm in the international system, Jeremic said.

He said that Kosovo-Metohija should not be viewed as a unique case in the world and added that giving Serbia an impossible choice between Europe and Kosovo would be "an indecent proposal in Europe of the 21st century".

Enumerating the eight rules which should be the framework for the solution of the future status of Kosovo-Metohija, Jeremic included the need for quicker integration of the western Balkans in the EU and NATO and preservation of internationally recognised borders and respect for sovereignty of the countries in the region.

He also affirmed giving the widest possible self-government to the southern province, international guarantees for the preservation of cultural and religious heritage, and for the protection of human and minority rights for all citizens of Kosovo-Metohija, including the creation of conditions for sustainable return of the displaced.

Jeremic said that it is not too late to find a solution that would lead to peace and stability in the region.

Serbia is ready and able to reach a historical compromise with Kosovo Albanians, the Serbian Foreign Minister said.

Jeremic said that Serbia is doing everything to conduct a policy that will never again lead into the war and cause suffering of its citizens and citizens of other countries in the region. That is why Serbia works hard to achieve reconciliation with its neighbours and achieve full cooperation with the Hague tribunal.