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A:
Serbia will not give up on policy to preserve national interests in Kosovo-Metohija
Belgrade,
25 August 2011
Serbian President Boris Tadic today stated that there is a possibility that Serbia might not acquire candidate status this year, or set the date for starting the negotiations, but that nevertheless it cannot accept the request to abolish its institutions in the north of Kosovo-Metohija.
Author:
Tanjug
In an interview to Tanjug news agency, Tadic said that Serbia will not abandon its people in Kosovo-Metohija.
Neither will it back out of EU integration. If we are asked by the Serbian or European political public to make a choice, my reply is that we will not give up on either of our legitimate interests, Tadic observed.
The President stressed that there will be no giving up on the policy to preserve Serbian national interests in the province and lead Serbia to the EU, adding that he is convinced that both strategic interests can be met: that Serbia is able to take care of its legitimate interests in the province and become an EU member.
I am convinced that Serbia will meet any conditions in line with the Copenhagen criteria, Tadic added.
The President said that one of the conditions for Serbia’s acquisition of EU candidate status listed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Belgrade is to abolish Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo, but this is unacceptable for Serbia for a number of reasons, which he explained to Merkel.
The true reason is that Serbian institutions are not parallel, but the only institutions in the north of the province, and their abolishment would lead to the creation of a political and existential vacuum in the north of the province.
The other reason is that these are legitimate institutions whose representatives were elected in democratic elections. The third is that these are not political institutions only, but also health, educational and utility ones, and are vital to the existence of every man in northern Kosovo-Metohija, the President observed.
Furthermore, the argument that these institutions should be abolished because that part of Kosovo-Metohija is rife with crime is utterly unfounded, because the scope of crime in order parts of the province’s territory is much greater, Tadic added.
Therefore, the request that Serbia should participate in the abolishment of national institutions, such as hospitals and schools, is simply unnatural and we cannot accept it, the President remarked.
Arguments coming from Germany, economically the most powerful European state, must be carefully scrutinised, but no one can ask Serbia to make unnatural political moves and practically assist in the creation of an independent state of Kosovo, he underlined.
We must continue the dialogue and this is in fact the most important conclusion of our talks, Tadic added.
Neither will it back out of EU integration. If we are asked by the Serbian or European political public to make a choice, my reply is that we will not give up on either of our legitimate interests, Tadic observed.
The President stressed that there will be no giving up on the policy to preserve Serbian national interests in the province and lead Serbia to the EU, adding that he is convinced that both strategic interests can be met: that Serbia is able to take care of its legitimate interests in the province and become an EU member.
I am convinced that Serbia will meet any conditions in line with the Copenhagen criteria, Tadic added.
The President said that one of the conditions for Serbia’s acquisition of EU candidate status listed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Belgrade is to abolish Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo, but this is unacceptable for Serbia for a number of reasons, which he explained to Merkel.
The true reason is that Serbian institutions are not parallel, but the only institutions in the north of the province, and their abolishment would lead to the creation of a political and existential vacuum in the north of the province.
The other reason is that these are legitimate institutions whose representatives were elected in democratic elections. The third is that these are not political institutions only, but also health, educational and utility ones, and are vital to the existence of every man in northern Kosovo-Metohija, the President observed.
Furthermore, the argument that these institutions should be abolished because that part of Kosovo-Metohija is rife with crime is utterly unfounded, because the scope of crime in order parts of the province’s territory is much greater, Tadic added.
Therefore, the request that Serbia should participate in the abolishment of national institutions, such as hospitals and schools, is simply unnatural and we cannot accept it, the President remarked.
Arguments coming from Germany, economically the most powerful European state, must be carefully scrutinised, but no one can ask Serbia to make unnatural political moves and practically assist in the creation of an independent state of Kosovo, he underlined.
We must continue the dialogue and this is in fact the most important conclusion of our talks, Tadic added.
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