"Jeremić makes point, EU outraged"

A Novi Sad daily quotes its unnamed EU source and writes that "Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic's behavior will cause an EU protest note"; EU officially denies. The diplomatic protest will come because the Serbian minister treated EU Belgrade office chief Peter Sorensen in a "demeaning and inappropriate manner", according to Dnevnik newspaper article published on Saturday. "Jeremic makes point, EU outraged" The note is expected in the coming days, the diplomatic source said, while in the meantime, EU Director-General for External and Military Affairs Robert Cooper – EU Foreign and Security Policy chief Javier Solana's top aide – informed the Political-Security Committee on Friday about the "incident". "Several EU states reacted very strongly, while most have expressed concern on the news of the incident, so that the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday could have a more precisely defined position of the Union member states," says the article. The daily then proceeds to quote its source and describe the cause of the problem: "The Serbian chief of diplomacy humiliated the EU office in Belgrade chief, who answers directly to EU High Representative Javier Solana, by arrogantly and inappropriately not allowing him to speak during a meeting where UN Special Representative for Kosovo Lamberto Zannier was present, while during the remainder of the meeting he [Jeremic] noticeably ignored Sorensen." The source interpreted the reasons for Jeremic's disagreeable behavior as an inappropriate attempt to make a point of Belgrade's official policy to talk Kosovo only with UN representatives, and as failure to respect a promise that Serbia would act constructively in EULEX mission's implementation in Kosovo. "The gravity of the incident is all the greater when one knows that the EU has accommodated Serbia and honored her demand not to open an EULEX liaison office in Belgrade, but to open an EU office instead, which would among other issues deal with EULEX," said the anonymous EU diplomat. He believes that Jeremic's "demonstration" was unnecessary, "considering that the meeting was closed to the public and that it was certainly not the place to show Serbia's determination to protect her position". Jeremic's "outburst", the newspaper continued, came at a bad time, since it gave momentum to severe criticism within the EU of Serbia, started after members of the ruling coalition took part in a meeting in Zvecan in northern Kosovo on Feb, 17, supporting the Assembly of the Serb Municipalities declaration, which contests EULEX. "If they continue like this, the current Serbian authorities will completely lose their credibility and spend all the credit they had even with those EU states that are supporting Serbia with all their might," said the source, whom Dnevnik describes as "highly positioned". "After these incidents, at Monday's meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers even the entirely pro-Serb chiefs of diplomacy will not have the maneuvering space to speak in favor of Belgrade. What's more, it will be a success if the debate on Serbia does not cause damage," said the source. But Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach has this Saturday denied that the EU is ready to send a demarche over Jeremic's actions. Solana's personal envoy in Belgrade has "positive and constructive" cooperation with Jeremic, she added. Gallach also said that the source of the media reports "likely did not have access to the correct information". Vuk Jeremic (FoNet, archive)

"Jeremić makes point, EU outraged"

The note is expected in the coming days, the diplomatic source said, while in the meantime, EU Director-General for External and Military Affairs Robert Cooper – EU Foreign and Security Policy chief Javier Solana's top aide – informed the Political-Security Committee on Friday about the "incident".

"Several EU states reacted very strongly, while most have expressed concern on the news of the incident, so that the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday could have a more precisely defined position of the Union member states," says the article.

The daily then proceeds to quote its source and describe the cause of the problem:

"The Serbian chief of diplomacy humiliated the EU office in Belgrade chief, who answers directly to EU High Representative Javier Solana, by arrogantly and inappropriately not allowing him to speak during a meeting where UN Special Representative for Kosovo Lamberto Zannier was present, while during the remainder of the meeting he [Jeremić] noticeably ignored Sorensen."

The source interpreted the reasons for Jeremić's disagreeable behavior as an inappropriate attempt to make a point of Belgrade's official policy to talk Kosovo only with UN representatives, and as failure to respect a promise that Serbia would act constructively in EULEX mission's implementation in Kosovo.

"The gravity of the incident is all the greater when one knows that the EU has accommodated Serbia and honored her demand not to open an EULEX liaison office in Belgrade, but to open an EU office instead, which would among other issues deal with EULEX," said the anonymous EU diplomat.

He believes that Jeremić's "demonstration" was unnecessary, "considering that the meeting was closed to the public and that it was certainly not the place to show Serbia's determination to protect her position".

Jeremić's "outburst", the newspaper continued, came at a bad time, since it gave momentum to severe criticism within the EU of Serbia, started after members of the ruling coalition took part in a meeting in Zvečan in northern Kosovo on Feb, 17, supporting the Assembly of the Serb Municipalities declaration, which contests EULEX.

"If they continue like this, the current Serbian authorities will completely lose their credibility and spend all the credit they had even with those EU states that are supporting Serbia with all their might," said the source, whom Dnevnik describes as "highly positioned".

"After these incidents, at Monday's meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers even the entirely pro-Serb chiefs of diplomacy will not have the maneuvering space to speak in favor of Belgrade. What's more, it will be a success if the debate on Serbia does not cause damage," said the source.

But Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach has this Saturday denied that the EU is ready to send a demarche over Jeremić's actions.

Solana's personal envoy in Belgrade has "positive and constructive" cooperation with Jeremić, she added.

Gallach also said that the source of the media reports "likely did not have access to the correct information".