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

Jeremic urges EU not to allow Pristina to hamper Serbia, UN agreement

Belgrade/Prague, 13 November 2008

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic today invited EU officials to oppose the attempts of Pristina to hamper an agreement on the reconfiguration of international civilian presence, reached by Belgrade and the UN.

Jeremic, on a two day visit to the Czech Republic, pointed out that, after several moths of tough talks, Serbia and the UN has reached an agreement of vital importance to the life of Serbs in Kosovo.

According to him, the agreement, which is to legalise the EU mission in Kosovo, was explicitly supported by all UN members.

He said that the UN Security Council is to allow the EULEX mission to be status-neutral, under the jurisdiction of the UN and in accordance with Resolution 1244.

Following the agreement between Serbia and the UN regarding the EU mission in Kosovo, Albanian leaders consider it as an obstacle against their policy of secession and again threatened violence, warned the Minister.

Instead of providing an appropriate reply to the Albanian threats, the UN Security Council’s session has been postponed and the report from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has not been presented, recalled Jeremic, adding that this is the best moment for the EU to send a message to the Pristina extremists that their rejection of law would not be tolerated.

Jeremic said that decisions that will be made during the next few days will be of crucial importance, adding that Serbia is deeply committed to being a constructive partner and to work together with the UN and EU on the issue their neutral status in Kosovo.

The Foreign Minister posed questions, saying when will we learn that passivity has no place in Europe, when will we finally confront those who are attempting to destroy all that was created as a result of the hard work of many generations in Europe?

He said that Serbia is committed to joining the EU, the common goal of all the countries in the region, adding that the Czech Republic’s EU presidency in the first half of 2009 will come at just the right moment for everyone.

He said that Serbia is not being treated like other countries in the region that wish to join the EU, seemingly different standards are being applied to Serbia.

An entire range of additional conditions is unjustly being imposed on Serbia and that is why the Czech Republic’s upcoming EU presidency could play a crucial role, he said, adding that he believes that the Czech Republic will help Serbia to meet the challenges it is facing and that no fresh obstacles will be laid in Serbia’s path.

He stressed that the transitional trade agreement between Serbia and the EU must be unblocked so that Belgrade and Prague get a chance to work together with the rest of the EU and Serbia acquires candidate status next year.

If Europe does not keep its promise, Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans could very soon be threatened by a renewal of the violence of the 1990s, warned the Foreign Minister.