FM: EU main goal, no Kosovo recognition

Joining the EU is Serbia's main goal, and there is no EU member-state that is against that, says Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. In an interview published by the Madrid-based El Mundo newspaper, the chief of Serbia's diplomacy also said that Serbia and all of the Western Balkans are of great geo-political significance for the EU, "which cannot count on its own stability without the Balkans". FM: EU main goal, no Kosovo recognition "It's true that we were Europe's powder keg. It is precisely for that reason that we need to join the European Union," Jeremic told the daily, adding that he believes that "only Brussels can finally extinguish the constant potential flashpoint in the Balkans". The newspaper noted in its article that Kosovo is an "unpleasant hurdle" for Serbia in its road toward the EU, and explained that, "among others, France has demanded that Serbia accept the loss of Kosovo in order to join the EU". Jeremic, however, rejects such a possibility, writes El Mundo. "Allow me to say this quite clearly: we will never accept a Kosovo state," the Serbian minister was quoted as saying. The daily further writes that "Belgrade's hopes are turned toward what the ICJ will announce, although it's already generally considered that the court will not rule in favor of Belgrade, partly because some countries have already officially recognized Pristina". The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to this year give its advisory opinion on the legality under international law of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral independence declaration made over two years ago, which Belgrade has rejected as an illegal act of secession. Now Jeremic "dismissed pointless prognoses" as to the outcome of the case, stressing that Serbia will fight using exclusively diplomatic means, and that it hopes that "conditions will be crated to achieve lasting stability". "Now our key goal is EU membership and Spain is one of our main supporters in that process," he told the newspaper. "Our friends in Madrid are helping us very much, and we hope that the current (Spanish) EU presidency will spur the process of the (SAA) ratification," he was quoted as saying. The daily notes that although EC reports have been favorable, "one of the main obstacles" for Serbia's progress toward EU membership remain the two Hague Tribunal fugitives still at large – former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, and former Croatian Serb political leader Goran Hadzic. The newspaper also states that "after a complicated process of ratification of the Lisbon Treaty", there enlargement fatigue is being felt in Europe, along with nervousness in some EU capitals over a possibility that the "historically conflict-prone Balkan countries" might join. But Jeremic said that he believed it was "strategically and security-wise necessary" for the EU accept the Western Balkans into its fold, and concluded that "although our closes friends are saying we could join the EU as early as in 2014, nothing bad will come out of waiting a little bit longer, either". Vuk Jeremic (FoNet, file)

FM: EU main goal, no Kosovo recognition

"It's true that we were Europe's powder keg. It is precisely for that reason that we need to join the European Union," Jeremić told the daily, adding that he believes that "only Brussels can finally extinguish the constant potential flashpoint in the Balkans".

The newspaper noted in its article that Kosovo is an "unpleasant hurdle" for Serbia in its road toward the EU, and explained that, "among others, France has demanded that Serbia accept the loss of Kosovo in order to join the EU".

Jeremić, however, rejects such a possibility, writes El Mundo.

"Allow me to say this quite clearly: we will never accept a Kosovo state," the Serbian minister was quoted as saying.

The daily further writes that "Belgrade's hopes are turned toward what the ICJ will announce, although it's already generally considered that the court will not rule in favor of Belgrade, partly because some countries have already officially recognized Priština".

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to this year give its advisory opinion on the legality under international law of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral independence declaration made over two years ago, which Belgrade has rejected as an illegal act of secession.

Now Jeremić "dismissed pointless prognoses" as to the outcome of the case, stressing that Serbia will fight using exclusively diplomatic means, and that it hopes that "conditions will be crated to achieve lasting stability".

"Now our key goal is EU membership and Spain is one of our main supporters in that process," he told the newspaper.

"Our friends in Madrid are helping us very much, and we hope that the current (Spanish) EU presidency will spur the process of the (SAA) ratification," he was quoted as saying.

The daily notes that although EC reports have been favorable, "one of the main obstacles" for Serbia's progress toward EU membership remain the two Hague Tribunal fugitives still at large – former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladić, and former Croatian Serb political leader Goran Hadžić.

The newspaper also states that "after a complicated process of ratification of the Lisbon Treaty", there enlargement fatigue is being felt in Europe, along with nervousness in some EU capitals over a possibility that the "historically conflict-prone Balkan countries" might join.

But Jeremić said that he believed it was "strategically and security-wise necessary" for the EU accept the Western Balkans into its fold, and concluded that "although our closes friends are saying we could join the EU as early as in 2014, nothing bad will come out of waiting a little bit longer, either".