Jeremić: France supports negotiating process

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic says that talks with French officials this week have gone well. Jeremic said that the important message of his talks with the officials in Paris was that France backed the Kosovo negotiating process and hoped it would lead to a compromise solution. Jeremic: France supports negotiating process “They see that setting deadlines ruins any chance of reaching a solution. And I also believe they understood our explanation that one cannot hope for compromise if one simply says, 'If you do not reach an agreement by December 10, then we will back one side,'” Jeremic said in an interview for the Saturday issue of daily Vecernje Novost. Asked if this could be interpreted as a “softening” of the French stand, Jeremic answered that it was a great improvement on the situation in July, when there was only the Marti Ahtisaari plan on the table. “This is a big step forward,” the foreign minster said. Jeremic added that Ahtisaari had not been the topic of his Thursday talks with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner in Paris. “I think we have managed to make them aware, to a certain extent, of the danger of unilateral moves,” Jeremic said. In the opinion of the foreign minister, as far as settlement of the Kosovo issue was concerned, any hasty decision, which did not guarantee stability, could have consequences for implementing the strategic goal evidently supported by France - west Balkan membership of the EU.

Jeremić: France supports negotiating process

“They see that setting deadlines ruins any chance of reaching a solution. And I also believe they understood our explanation that one cannot hope for compromise if one simply says, 'If you do not reach an agreement by December 10, then we will back one side,'” Jeremić said in an interview for the Saturday issue of daily Večernje Novost.

Asked if this could be interpreted as a “softening” of the French stand, Jeremić answered that it was a great improvement on the situation in July, when there was only the Marti Ahtisaari plan on the table.

“This is a big step forward,” the foreign minster said.

Jeremić added that Ahtisaari had not been the topic of his Thursday talks with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner in Paris.

“I think we have managed to make them aware, to a certain extent, of the danger of unilateral moves,” Jeremić said.

In the opinion of the foreign minister, as far as settlement of the Kosovo issue was concerned, any hasty decision, which did not guarantee stability, could have consequences for implementing the strategic goal evidently supported by France - west Balkan membership of the EU.