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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Unilateral steps in resolving Kosovo issue could lead to regional instability

Belgrade/Baden, 27 November 2007

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic said today in Baden that unilateral steps towards resolving the Kosovo issue could lead to serious destabilisation of the Western Balkans as well as other regions in the world.

Vuk Jeremic, left, and Slobodan Samardzic address the media

Author: Fonet

Addressing the press following conclusion of the troika’s joint meeting with Belgrade and Pristina, Jeremic said that talks, which lasted more than four and a half hours, were constructive, and that the Serbian side presented an expanded proposal on substantial autonomy as compared to a range of functioning models for substantial autonomy.

When it comes to the question of substantial autonomy and its practicality we talked far more about details, and besides the examples of the Oland Islands and Hong Kong, this time we also spoke of areas in Europe such as South Tyrol, the Basque Country and Catalonia, said Jeremic.

He said that the Serbian negotiating team presented an inclusive legal analysis of the UN SC Resolution 1244, its implications and consequences regarding the safeguarding of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

During the joint meeting, alternative scenarios were also discussed, he said, including what could happen if a compromise is not reached at the end of these negotiations or some other process initiated following this one.

The Minister stressed that the Belgrade delegation drew attention to the dangers of not reaching a compromise, and unilateral moves and their consequences were also discussed.

The course of unilateral action opens up a Pandora’s box. No one can imagine that one unilateral move will be the end of unilateral steps and one will not lead to another, said Jeremic.

According to Jeremic, whoever decides to take such a step will take upon responsibility for everything which could follow, and a very likely consequence is fundamental destabilisation of the West Balkans and other regions in the world.

He said that the other side did not respond to the Belgrade delegation with understanding. He added that Serbia is ready for a compromise and talks as long as necessary.

Jeremic said that during the afternoon the Serbian team will have a final separate meeting with the Contact Group’s troika, where Belgrade will formally present its viewpoint and analysis regarding recent negotiations.

Serbian Minster for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic said that continuation of Kosovo status talks is necessary in order to reach a compromised solution.

Speaking on today’s and yesterday’s direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina, Samardzic stressed that the two sides did not reach a common solution and compromise, which was the aim of a series of talks that were held.

The Albanian side constantly insisted that there is no compromise on the status, the Minister said and added that Kosovo Albanians claimed that their plan is the plan of Martti Ahtisaari, that it is how they see status and that only post-status relations can be discussed.

According to him, during the three months Belgrade exposed its plan on substantial autonomy in detail and this plan is open for discussion.

He recalled that the Serbian side gave over 500 amendments to Ahtisaari’s plan and questioned why Albanians came up with no amendment to Belgrade’s proposal.

From the very start, they rejected our proposal as a whole and did not want to talk, Samardzic said and added that although the troika invested efforts to make the Albanian side talk, they persistently refused to talk about that. The Minister said that Albanians are behaving as if independence is certain and promised, adding that the biggest problem is that no agreement has been reached and that Albanian side did not fight for its positions.

According to him, there is no solution without a compromised result, Serbia wants the result to be achieved as soon as possible, but the Albanian side did not want it, but one day it will have to.