President addresses UN General Assembly

Serbia is ready for a dialogue with Pristina that would help reach an acceptable solution for Kosovo, Serbian President Boris Tadic said at the United Nations. Before the UN General Assembly, President Tadic said it was important that the UN members that had not recognized Kosovo's independence did not change their stand during the dialogue. President addresses UN General Assembly Serbia wants to go back to the negotiating table. Tadic reiterated that the Serbian position had not changed - Serbia would never recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, but desired to have a dialogue. "Soon, the two sides will talk for the first time in many years", said Serbian President Boris Tadic in his address to the UN General Assembly. "We need to be patient and find topics that will enable both sides to trust each other. It is high time we left anachronistic analyses and diplomatic ambushes behind ", he said. "We have always been saying that we are ready to engage in a dialogue. However, this dialogue must be governed by rules and responsibilities and this has been achieved by the last ballot in the General Assembly”, the Serbian president reminded . The Serbian president said that the talks between the two sides were made possible via the EU resolution on the opinion of the International Court of Justice, adopted by the UN General Assembly. The resolution is essentially a status-neutral, and any other interpretation is untrue, Tadic said. In Serbia, Tadic's return from New York is being awaited in order to have the platform for negotiations with Pristina defined. According to Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, the status will inevitably come up as a topic in the talks. "Every issue in general, and the issue of how people actually live in particular, is coupled with the issue of the Kosovo status. This will inevitably come up as a topic in the talks", Dacic anticipated. Dacic said that it was important that Serbia showed it was not part of the problem, but part of the solution. Leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and former Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, on the other hand, says that it is clear the country is facing the EU intentions to completely take away Kosovo from Serbia. "One cannot find a free and democratic country in Europe that would, under any terms, agree to relinquish 15 percent of its territory in exchange for a promise that it might get something in 2020 ir 2030", he said. "Serbia must not agree to this trade-off and this humiliation, the one no European nation would ever agree to", Kostunica said. The last talks the two sides had ended in late 2007 in Vienna. Barely two months later, Pristina unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo. Boris Tadic in the UN (Tanjug)

President addresses UN General Assembly

Serbia wants to go back to the negotiating table. Tadić reiterated that the Serbian position had not changed - Serbia would never recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, but desired to have a dialogue.

"Soon, the two sides will talk for the first time in many years", said Serbian President Boris Tadić in his address to the UN General Assembly.

"We need to be patient and find topics that will enable both sides to trust each other. It is high time we left anachronistic analyses and diplomatic ambushes behind ", he said.

"We have always been saying that we are ready to engage in a dialogue. However, this dialogue must be governed by rules and responsibilities and this has been achieved by the last ballot in the General Assembly”, the Serbian president reminded .

The Serbian president said that the talks between the two sides were made possible via the EU resolution on the opinion of the International Court of Justice, adopted by the UN General Assembly.

The resolution is essentially a status-neutral, and any other interpretation is untrue, Tadić said.

In Serbia, Tadić's return from New York is being awaited in order to have the platform for negotiations with Priština defined.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dačić, the status will inevitably come up as a topic in the talks.

"Every issue in general, and the issue of how people actually live in particular, is coupled with the issue of the Kosovo status. This will inevitably come up as a topic in the talks", Dačić anticipated.

Dačić said that it was important that Serbia showed it was not part of the problem, but part of the solution.

Leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and former Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica, on the other hand, says that it is clear the country is facing the EU intentions to completely take away Kosovo from Serbia.

"One cannot find a free and democratic country in Europe that would, under any terms, agree to relinquish 15 percent of its territory in exchange for a promise that it might get something in 2020 ir 2030", he said.

"Serbia must not agree to this trade-off and this humiliation, the one no European nation would ever agree to", Koštunica said.

The last talks the two sides had ended in late 2007 in Vienna. Barely two months later, Priština unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo.