President attends SEECP summit

Serbian President Boris Tadic said in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday that the EU “has to be honest and say if it wants to accept all countries of the region”. The union should also reveal “if is prepared to work with them in a very practical way to ensure the existing criteria is fulfilled”, Tadic said. President attends SEECP summit The president addressed a summit of heads of state and governments of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), and presented the steps Serbia has made in the past few months on its EU path, and said that it is absolutely vital that Serbia's EU membership application to be sent to the European Commission for consideration in the very near future, said reports. "Only when all of Southeast Europe is fully integrated into the EU can the promised peace dividend that arose at the end of the Cold War be fulfilled. Only then will democratic prosperity, economic security, and social equality be full entrenched in each and every nation which shares this region as their common home," Tadic said. He added that only in that way can "we close the chapter for good on an ugly decade that was characterized by civil war, ethnic cleansing, refugees and IDP". The European Union, according to Tadic, must be honest and say whether it wants to integrate the entire West Balkan region and whether it is prepared to work with those countries in a very practical way to ensure the existing criteria is fulfilled. "We all have our constraints, but we deal with them. We do not just let them be used as pretexts for doing nothing. Thus, Serbia expects that positive atmosphere and messages from recently held meeting in Sarajevo between EU and Western Balkans will be translated into action," Tadic said. Speaking about the importance of regional cooperation, Tadic pointed out that it has to be focused on fight against organized crime, the transnational networks of which pose the most direct danger to the region's prosperity. "Serbia has declared total war on organized crime and it will spare no effort in its mission to eradicate this threat. Serbia's zero-tolerance policy means no one-absolutely no one-will be permitted to stand beyond the reach of the law. Our police and judiciary institutions will continue their relentless pursuit of crime bosses and their collaborators," Tadic pointed out. According to him, regional cooperation is a prerequisite of a successful fight against organized crime, which is why it is of utmost importance that this be a number one priority for countries in the region, not only in speech, but in deed as well. The Serbian president also turned briefly to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija status, reaffirming once again that Serbia will “never, under any circumstances, implicitly or explicitly, recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo (UDI), and that the Serbian people are united on this fundamental point”. "We see UDI as having been yet another failed attempt to impose a one-sided outcome. That is why it is unsustainable. There is no legitimate alternative to reaching a negotiated, compromise solution for Kosovo," Tadic said assessing that a new opportunity for negotiations will arise once the International Court of Justice has presented its advisory opinion on the UDI legality to the UN General Assembly. "We believe dialogue is the only way to guarantee the long-term stability of our region," the Serbian president said, and concluded that the Serbia of the 21st century is a country which seeks peace, stability, economic prosperity, social justice, regional cooperation, and good-neighborly relations. According to Tadic, there is no better framework for the leaders in the region to discuss their joint future than the process of cooperation they themselves have created. "We must continue working together to strengthen our regional cooperation initiatives - something that Serbia has always been in favor of, and will additionally contribute to during our SEECP Chairmanship in 2011/2012," Tadic said, evaluating that the past decade has seen incredible progress in regional cooperation, with Serbia leading the way on a number of fronts. Tadic is seen with Turkey's Abdullah Gul on Wednesday in Istanbul (Beta)

President attends SEECP summit

The president addressed a summit of heads of state and governments of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), and presented the steps Serbia has made in the past few months on its EU path, and said that it is absolutely vital that Serbia's EU membership application to be sent to the European Commission for consideration in the very near future, said reports.

"Only when all of Southeast Europe is fully integrated into the EU can the promised peace dividend that arose at the end of the Cold War be fulfilled. Only then will democratic prosperity, economic security, and social equality be full entrenched in each and every nation which shares this region as their common home," Tadić said.

He added that only in that way can "we close the chapter for good on an ugly decade that was characterized by civil war, ethnic cleansing, refugees and IDP".

The European Union, according to Tadić, must be honest and say whether it wants to integrate the entire West Balkan region and whether it is prepared to work with those countries in a very practical way to ensure the existing criteria is fulfilled.

"We all have our constraints, but we deal with them. We do not just let them be used as pretexts for doing nothing. Thus, Serbia expects that positive atmosphere and messages from recently held meeting in Sarajevo between EU and Western Balkans will be translated into action," Tadić said.

Speaking about the importance of regional cooperation, Tadić pointed out that it has to be focused on fight against organized crime, the transnational networks of which pose the most direct danger to the region's prosperity.

"Serbia has declared total war on organized crime and it will spare no effort in its mission to eradicate this threat. Serbia's zero-tolerance policy means no one-absolutely no one-will be permitted to stand beyond the reach of the law. Our police and judiciary institutions will continue their relentless pursuit of crime bosses and their collaborators," Tadić pointed out.

According to him, regional cooperation is a prerequisite of a successful fight against organized crime, which is why it is of utmost importance that this be a number one priority for countries in the region, not only in speech, but in deed as well.

The Serbian president also turned briefly to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija status, reaffirming once again that Serbia will “never, under any circumstances, implicitly or explicitly, recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo (UDI), and that the Serbian people are united on this fundamental point”.

"We see UDI as having been yet another failed attempt to impose a one-sided outcome. That is why it is unsustainable. There is no legitimate alternative to reaching a negotiated, compromise solution for Kosovo," Tadić said assessing that a new opportunity for negotiations will arise once the International Court of Justice has presented its advisory opinion on the UDI legality to the UN General Assembly.

"We believe dialogue is the only way to guarantee the long-term stability of our region," the Serbian president said, and concluded that the Serbia of the 21st century is a country which seeks peace, stability, economic prosperity, social justice, regional cooperation, and good-neighborly relations.

According to Tadić, there is no better framework for the leaders in the region to discuss their joint future than the process of cooperation they themselves have created.

"We must continue working together to strengthen our regional cooperation initiatives - something that Serbia has always been in favor of, and will additionally contribute to during our SEECP Chairmanship in 2011/2012," Tadić said, evaluating that the past decade has seen incredible progress in regional cooperation, with Serbia leading the way on a number of fronts.