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Serbia expects continuation of Pristina-Belgrade talks on Kosovo status

Belgrade/New York, 9 October 2008

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic said that the adoption of Serbian resolution in UN evidence of Serbian government’s effective policy is victory not just for Serbia, but also for international law and justice in international relations.

Author: Fonet

Jeremic told RTS that the Kosovo issue has been placed from political to legal arena with this resolution and added that Serbia’s success in the UN is result of hard work of all state bodies led by President Boris Tadic.

He said that hard pressures were made against Serbia’s initiative before the UN General Assembly to ask for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice over the legality of unilateral declaration of Kosovo-Metohija's independence and that the countries who opposed the resolution were trying to lobby against it.

Jeremic said that the question whether the unilateral declaration of independence by the provisional institutions of self-government of Kosovo is in accordance with international law will be sent to the ICJ within a few days, after which the court will decide on the procedure.

Our legal team was well prepared, the Minister said and reiterated that Serbia will not give up diplomatic battle to preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia.

According to him, the main goal is resuming negotiations, finding a compromising solution for future Kosovo-Metohija’s status, which has to be in accordance with international law and to respect the Serbian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He expressed conviction that the Hague tribunal will decide that the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo breaks international law and the tribunal’s opinion should initiate continuation of negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade on the status of Serbia’s southern province.

The opposing sides in the Middle East are willing to continue negotiations, therefore I do not see why the same cannot be done in case of Belgrade and Pristina, said Jeremic and added that the tribunal’s opinion is considered to lower tension and prevent Kosovo from becoming precedent for secessionism all around the world.

He said that, at yesterday’s meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, it was decided that the dialogue on six items in the process of reconfiguring international civilian presence in Kosovo will be speeded up. He stressed that from the mere beginning Serbia’s position is not to oppose the EU engagement on its entire territory, including Kosovo, but it should be status neutral and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

According to him, Serbia wants to cooperate in finding an adequate solution which will enable the greater EU engagement, but not with the aim of implementing Ahtisaari’s plan which was rejected in the UN Security Council and by Serbia as well. The change of the civilian presence must be approved by the UN Security Council, he stressed.