Kosovo may block way toward EU

Kosovo may block way toward EU

“Serbia needs to deal seriously with the task of becoming a functional state that will accelerate its own integration with Europe. Serbia needs to ask itself will holding on to Kosovo speed up that process. It will in fact largely complicate the integration process”, she said.

Judy Butt said Belgrade made a mistake attempting to blow the Ahtisaari statement about the collective guilt of the Serbian nation out of proportion, to the level of a significant issue, and added that it was about taking responsibility for some past actions, as well as that some other European countries have undergone a similar process.

Fleiner: Ahtisaari's statement astonishing

Serbian negotiating team advisor, Swiss federalism and multi-ethnic states expert Thomas Fleiner, believes Martti Ahtisaari has lost his legitimacy as a credible mediator. In an interview with the Vienna-based Die Presse, Fleiner recounted the conversation Ahtisaari had with the Serbian team members last month. “Ahtisaari pointed at all of us and said: ‘You are not guilty personally, but Serbs are guilty as a nation’. Fleiner added that such a statement would in Switzerland be prosecuted under the Racism law.

Asked why they failed to demand an explanation from Ahtisaari at the time, Fleiner answered that it would have made sense, but that all present team members were astonished to the point they were lost for words.