Tadić says no EULEX without guarantees

President Boris Tadic says Serbia would not agree to the deployment of EULEX before receiving solid guarantees that her conditions are fully taken into account. "We are only in the stage in which our preconditions for the deployment of EULEX are accepted in the statements and formulations of ranking EU officials. However, before we get guarantees on paper, no agreement can be made," Tadic told the Tanjug news agency in an interview on Sunday. Tadic says no EULEX without guarantees He said that Belgrade was negotiating the reconfiguration of the civilian presence in Kosovo only with the United Nations and added that these negotiations had not been finished regarding three preconditions for the deployment of EULEX – to have the UN Security Council mandate, to be status-neutral and not to implement the Ahtisaari plan – or regarding the so-called six items proposed by the UN secretary-general. Tadic explained that Serbia also wanted to see what kind of presence the United Nations had in Kosovo and what were the competences of the UN representative, because it wanted the United Nations to guarantee status neutrality and to guarantee that the interests of the Serb and non-Albanian citizens in the province would not be brought into question. "Without these conditions there can be no agreements or Serbia's vote at international fora and the United Nations," Tadic said. The president added that it is of essential importance for Belgrade to see the UN respect SCR 1244 in the international reconfiguration process, as the highest international act guaranteeing Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "I am convinced that we can achieve a result, but that result has not yet been confirmed. The negotiations have their ups and downs. We insist that our conditions are guaranteed. It is an excellent circumstance that we are getting messages from the EU and even the UN that Serbia's conditions are acceptable, but let's see how they are guaranteed on paper," Tadic stressed. He also expressed his belief that by putting forward precise demands for EULEX, Belgrade had "ruled out the possibility that the mission's deployment could one day be interpreted as its giving up Kosovo". Tadic also pointed out to the fact that some EU countries do not accept Kosovo Albanians' unilateral declaration of independence, while others would "gladly condition Serbia with giving up Kosovo for the sake of European integrations". The message is being sent to the latter group on every occasion, according to the president, that Serbia will never accept that kind of conditioning and that it will not join the EU without Kosovo. This, Tadic continued, "is certainly a red line that Belgrade will never cross". He allowed for the possibility that the Kosovo issue will not be solved for the next several years, and repeated that Serbia is patient and resolved to, "regardless of everything", not desist from resolving that problem. "The world is not a cemented and frozen place. The world changes. Foreseeing the changes, we must create our policy, at all times improving the chances to have our interests realized. For this reason, we have started the International Court of Justice initiative, so that in the years when it is making a decision, when we believe international circumstances for solving the future status of Kosovo and Metohija will be better, our position is confirmed by this highest legal institution," Tadic told the news agency. A file photo of Boris Tadic (FoNet) Kostunica slams talks In a statement for Tanjug on Sunday, DSS leader and former prime minister Vojislav Kostunica said that "if it recognizes EULEX, the Serbian government will become an accomplice in the creation of an independent Kosovo". "When the government recognizes the EULEX mission it will become an accomplice in all the consequences resulting from its activities aimed at creating independent Kosovo," Kostunica said. He added that Serbians have the right to an answer from those who "secretly negotiate the recognition of Ahtisaari's EULEX" whether the mission would work on the establishment of an independent state of Kosovo. Kostunica wondered "if EULEX will work on the establishment of the customs, judicial system and police that will work on the basis of the constitution and laws of Kosovo". "Since the answers to these questions are affirmative it is completely clear that the EULEX mission implements the Ahtisaari plan on independent Kosovo," the DSS leader said. He continued that the "entire propaganda regarding some Serbian conditions fails before the answers to these questions." "By deceiving their own citizens regarding how they allegedly do not create the institutions of an independent state of Kosovo, these authorities actually annuls Serbia," Kostunica said.

Tadić says no EULEX without guarantees

He said that Belgrade was negotiating the reconfiguration of the civilian presence in Kosovo only with the United Nations and added that these negotiations had not been finished regarding three preconditions for the deployment of EULEX – to have the UN Security Council mandate, to be status-neutral and not to implement the Ahtisaari plan – or regarding the so-called six items proposed by the UN secretary-general.

Tadić explained that Serbia also wanted to see what kind of presence the United Nations had in Kosovo and what were the competences of the UN representative, because it wanted the United Nations to guarantee status neutrality and to guarantee that the interests of the Serb and non-Albanian citizens in the province would not be brought into question.

"Without these conditions there can be no agreements or Serbia's vote at international fora and the United Nations," Tadić said.

The president added that it is of essential importance for Belgrade to see the UN respect SCR 1244 in the international reconfiguration process, as the highest international act guaranteeing Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"I am convinced that we can achieve a result, but that result has not yet been confirmed. The negotiations have their ups and downs. We insist that our conditions are guaranteed. It is an excellent circumstance that we are getting messages from the EU and even the UN that Serbia's conditions are acceptable, but let's see how they are guaranteed on paper," Tadić stressed.

He also expressed his belief that by putting forward precise demands for EULEX, Belgrade had "ruled out the possibility that the mission's deployment could one day be interpreted as its giving up Kosovo".

Tadić also pointed out to the fact that some EU countries do not accept Kosovo Albanians' unilateral declaration of independence, while others would "gladly condition Serbia with giving up Kosovo for the sake of European integrations".

The message is being sent to the latter group on every occasion, according to the president, that Serbia will never accept that kind of conditioning and that it will not join the EU without Kosovo.

This, Tadić continued, "is certainly a red line that Belgrade will never cross".

He allowed for the possibility that the Kosovo issue will not be solved for the next several years, and repeated that Serbia is patient and resolved to, "regardless of everything", not desist from resolving that problem.

"The world is not a cemented and frozen place. The world changes. Foreseeing the changes, we must create our policy, at all times improving the chances to have our interests realized. For this reason, we have started the International Court of Justice initiative, so that in the years when it is making a decision, when we believe international circumstances for solving the future status of Kosovo and Metohija will be better, our position is confirmed by this highest legal institution," Tadić told the news agency.

Koštunica slams talks

In a statement for Tanjug on Sunday, DSS leader and former prime minister Vojislav Koštunica said that "if it recognizes EULEX, the Serbian government will become an accomplice in the creation of an independent Kosovo".

"When the government recognizes the EULEX mission it will become an accomplice in all the consequences resulting from its activities aimed at creating independent Kosovo," Koštunica said.

He added that Serbians have the right to an answer from those who "secretly negotiate the recognition of Ahtisaari's EULEX" whether the mission would work on the establishment of an independent state of Kosovo.

Koštunica wondered "if EULEX will work on the establishment of the customs, judicial system and police that will work on the basis of the constitution and laws of Kosovo".

"Since the answers to these questions are affirmative it is completely clear that the EULEX mission implements the Ahtisaari plan on independent Kosovo," the DSS leader said.

He continued that the "entire propaganda regarding some Serbian conditions fails before the answers to these questions."

"By deceiving their own citizens regarding how they allegedly do not create the institutions of an independent state of Kosovo, these authorities actually annuls Serbia," Koštunica said.