Tadić: Putting our hopes in ICJ

President Boris Tadic says he hopes the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision will enable better relations with Kosovo. “Only that court’s decision will allow us to enter negotiations about Kosovo’s future status and reach a compromise,” said Tadic, speaking to Reuters. He added that “Serbia will never undertake any action which would imply support of Kosovo’s independence.” Tadic: Putting our hopes in ICJ “Serbia wants to see a return to normal life in Kosovo. Human and minority rights in Kosovo are below acceptable levels and we haven’t seen very many Serbs returning,” said Tadic. He added that Serbia would not block Kosovo access to international financial institutions under the condition that they were represented by UNMIK. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, speaking to Austrian daily Oberoesterreichische Nachrichten and Kleine Zeitung, said that Pristina would accept the ICJ’s decision. “I don’t want to interfere in the Court’s decision. We will respect and analyze it,” he said, asked what Pristina would do should the court’s ruling go against them. He expects Serbia to recognize Kosovo as an independent country very soon, as, according to him, “that would be best for peace and security in the region.” Boris Tadic (FoNet, archive) "No state in Kosovo" Boris Tadic said that Kosovo did not have its own state a year after the unilateral independence declaration. “For anyone who wants a realistic overview of the situation in Kosovo, it’s clear that there’s no state there,” said Tadic in an interview with the French AFP agency. He said that for Serbia, the first anniversary of the independence declaration “was the day the authorities in Pristina declared independence illegally from the point of view of international law.” “Serbia neither accepts independence, nor will it accept that independence,” said the president. “Serbia, like many EU countries, is suffering from the activities of the Albanian Mafia in Kosovo,” which is very active in drug trafficking, particularly heroin, he added. As far as Serbia’s EU integration is concerned, Tadic said that the ongoing financial crisis and the Lisbon Treaty, which has still to be ratified, were affecting the European position on further enlargement. “What’s most important for us is to become EU candidates as soon as possible,” not to apply for membership as soon as possible, said the president. “It’s not just a question of applying for membership, but being accepted,” he stressed. Tadic said that Serbia was being punished because of Hague fugitive Ratko Mladic, adding that he had not been “localized”. “If he had been localized, he’d have already been arrested today,” he said, underlining that Serbia was doing all it could to arrest Mladic and Goran Hadzic. The president expressed his regret that the failure to apprehend the two fugitives was hampering the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU.

Tadić: Putting our hopes in ICJ

“Serbia wants to see a return to normal life in Kosovo. Human and minority rights in Kosovo are below acceptable levels and we haven’t seen very many Serbs returning,” said Tadić.

He added that Serbia would not block Kosovo access to international financial institutions under the condition that they were represented by UNMIK.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, speaking to Austrian daily Oberoesterreichische Nachrichten and Kleine Zeitung, said that Priština would accept the ICJ’s decision.

“I don’t want to interfere in the Court’s decision. We will respect and analyze it,” he said, asked what Priština would do should the court’s ruling go against them.

He expects Serbia to recognize Kosovo as an independent country very soon, as, according to him, “that would be best for peace and security in the region.”

"No state in Kosovo"

Boris Tadić said that Kosovo did not have its own state a year after the unilateral independence declaration.

“For anyone who wants a realistic overview of the situation in Kosovo, it’s clear that there’s no state there,” said Tadić in an interview with the French AFP agency. He said that for Serbia, the first anniversary of the independence declaration “was the day the authorities in Priština declared independence illegally from the point of view of international law.”

“Serbia neither accepts independence, nor will it accept that independence,” said the president.

“Serbia, like many EU countries, is suffering from the activities of the Albanian Mafia in Kosovo,” which is very active in drug trafficking, particularly heroin, he added.

As far as Serbia’s EU integration is concerned, Tadić said that the ongoing financial crisis and the Lisbon Treaty, which has still to be ratified, were affecting the European position on further enlargement.

“What’s most important for us is to become EU candidates as soon as possible,” not to apply for membership as soon as possible, said the president.

“It’s not just a question of applying for membership, but being accepted,” he stressed.

Tadić said that Serbia was being punished because of Hague fugitive Ratko Mladić, adding that he had not been “localized”. “If he had been localized, he’d have already been arrested today,” he said, underlining that Serbia was doing all it could to arrest Mladić and Goran Hadžić.

The president expressed his regret that the failure to apprehend the two fugitives was hampering the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU.