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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia’s EU membership – government’s strategic priority

Belgrade, 31 August 2007

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic stated today that his ministry and the government’s greatest success in the first 100 days is political support for speedier EU integration and the continuation of talks on EU accession after a year’s stall.

Vuk Jeremic

Jeremic told a press conference at the government building that thanks to strenuous diplomatic work, the government has succeeded in opening another round of talks on the Kosovo-Metohija future status and improving Serbia’s image in the world. He stressed he visited over 20 countries and met with more than 30 counterparts, as well as with over 100 other officials both in Serbia and abroad.

He also said that full EU membership is the Serbian government’s strategic priority and voiced hope that by end-2007 Serbia will sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU.

He announced that on September 5 in Brussels he will present a Presentational Document which is a precondition for Serbia’s participation in the Partnership for Peace.

According to Jeremic, the programme is of extreme importance for ensuring safety in the region and creating a long-term and stable political atmosphere, as well as for supporting the reform process in the defence and security sectors and strengthening Serbia’s international position.

Jeremic stressed that in the first 100 days he visited the centres of three main pillars of Serbia’s international policy – the EU, USA and Russia – and added that without balanced relations with these centres it will not be possible to continue reforms in Serbia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also prepared a draft law on foreign affairs, which should be a basis for better functioning of the ministry and enable younger and educated people to join the diplomatic service, said Minister Jeremic.

He stressed that Serbia will know how to adequately respond to every country or organisation which takes steps towards beaching Serbia’s territorial integrity, but also emphasised that the government will not allow Serbia to become isolated again.

There is a wide array of responses for all steps that would compromise Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that’s the task of Serbian diplomats, Jeremic said.

He announced that Serbia will appoint a negotiating team for new negotiations on the status of Kosovo-Metohija as soon as modalities of new negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina are presented, on which the Contact Group and the international mediation troika will agree on in the margins of the session of the UN General Assembly in New York at the end of September.

He stated that talks in Vienna yesterday (http://www.srbija.sr.gov.yu/vesti/vest.php?id=37801) were constructive as the mediation troika carefully listened to Serbia’s proposals on substantial autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija.

We are pleased that the troika seriously understood the status issue and we expect direct talks to start fast, Jeremic said noting that a compromise solution that Serbia supports can be reached only through direct talks.

Jeremic recalled that until several months ago international community was on the verge of adopting Ahtisaari’s plan on “supervised independence” of Kosovo-Metohija, but in the meantime thanks to Serbia’s diplomatic activities, a new round of negotiations was launched.

He stressed that Kosovo Albanians are offered the widest possible autonomy, even wider than the one envisioned by the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, but warned that any unilateral act would cause instability in the region.

Jeremic announced the establishment of a foreign policy council comprising experienced and respected figures, including Sonja Liht, Svetozar Stojanovic, Ivo Viskovic, Vladeta Jankovic, Trivo Indjic and two former foreign ministers Goran Svilanovic and Vuk Draskovic.