"Unexpected results achieved in fighting UDI"

Vuk Jeremic says "some powerful countries" tried to "solidify Kosovo's independence", but that our diplomacy fought back and achieved results few had expected. The foreign minister spoke on Wednesday in Belgrade during a roundtable organized by the Tanjug news agency, entitled "Serbia's Foreign Policy Challenges". "Unexpected results achieved in fighting UDI" He reiterated that Serbia's foreign policy priorities were still the same and that cooperation with Brussels, Moscow, Beijing and Washington were still considered the four pillars of that policy. Serbia has held that course since the democratic changes and the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic October 5, 2000, he noted, adding that the situation now is less favorably because the EU is in the middle of an economic crisis, which threatens the pace of its enlargement. The foreign policy priorities include EU accession, using diplomacy to defend the country's territorial integrity in Kosovo, regional cooperation and economic diplomacy, Jeremic explained. According to him, the relations in the region have not been better in the past 20 years. President of the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) Tomislav Nikolic, and high ranking officials of the Socialists (SPS) and Liberal-Democrats (LDP) Branko Ruzic and Zoran Ostojic also took part in the roundtable. Nikolic and Jeremic at the roundtable (Tanjug) Permanent shuttle diplomacy Tomislav Nikolic said that Serbia should replace the shuttle diplomacy it has been using since October 5, 2000, with career diplomats. "The downfall of Serbian diplomacy started after October 5, 2000, when Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia appointed as ambassadors the people who contributed to the changes," according to Nikolic. In his opinion, this is when the country started using shuttle democracy, a practice that continues until today. The SNS leader said he is in favor of renewing diplomatic principles used by developed democratic countries. "I am in favor of career diplomats - professionals - who should represent the country as ambassadors or consults... and not act as the country's representative until the president or the foreign minister come to address an important topic," Nikolic said. Pointing out that a country like Serbia, in order to protect itself and its dignity, needs to pay attention to what the world centers of power think, Nikolic warned that for almost eight years, the Serbian diplomacy only cared about Brussels and Washington - while Moscow and Beijing were added to the pillars of foreign policy "only later, when the so-called state of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence." Nikolic reiterated that he supports Serbia's EU accession, adding that "this is an achievable goal." The SNS leader also believes that the foreign minster should not be accountable to the president, but to the prime minister, and that the foreign policy goals and the methods for achieving those goals should be determined by the government and not the president. Irrational policy LDP's Zoran Ostojic said that Serbia's foreign policy should be "rational, independent and serving the country's top priority, which is EU accession". He then noted that Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic's policy was "bad". Ostojic criticized Jeremic for running a balanced policy. Balance means that all priorities are equally important, and that is a mistake, he argued. "Serbia's entire foreign policy should be aimed towards EU and NATO integration, not because we like NATO, but because it is our interest," Ostojic stressed. The foreign policy is not independent either, which was proven by the recent visit by Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was welcomed by President Boris Tadic instead of Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, said Ostojic. "It is normal in independent countries for a prime minister to be welcomed by another prime minister, while the ambassador is the second most important person in the delegation. With us, the head of the delegation was not the prime minister, but the president, while the ambassador to Russia was ranked fifth," Ostojic stated. The LDP also believes Jeremic's policy is irrational. "We should not support the North Korean regime or other regimes that violate human rights for the sake of one vote in the UN. The act goes against Japan and South Korea, which is irrational," he underlined. Ostojic also commented on the International Court of Justice opinion that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was not against international law. Serbia would not have such an opinion on paper had it begun its talks with Kosovo sooner, he thinks.

"Unexpected results achieved in fighting UDI"

He reiterated that Serbia's foreign policy priorities were still the same and that cooperation with Brussels, Moscow, Beijing and Washington were still considered the four pillars of that policy.

Serbia has held that course since the democratic changes and the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević October 5, 2000, he noted, adding that the situation now is less favorably because the EU is in the middle of an economic crisis, which threatens the pace of its enlargement.

The foreign policy priorities include EU accession, using diplomacy to defend the country's territorial integrity in Kosovo, regional cooperation and economic diplomacy, Jeremić explained. According to him, the relations in the region have not been better in the past 20 years.

President of the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) Tomislav Nikolić, and high ranking officials of the Socialists (SPS) and Liberal-Democrats (LDP) Branko Ružić and Zoran Ostojić also took part in the roundtable.

Permanent shuttle diplomacy

Tomislav Nikolić said that Serbia should replace the shuttle diplomacy it has been using since October 5, 2000, with career diplomats.

"The downfall of Serbian diplomacy started after October 5, 2000, when Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia appointed as ambassadors the people who contributed to the changes," according to Nikolić.

In his opinion, this is when the country started using shuttle democracy, a practice that continues until today.

The SNS leader said he is in favor of renewing diplomatic principles used by developed democratic countries.

"I am in favor of career diplomats - professionals - who should represent the country as ambassadors or consults... and not act as the country's representative until the president or the foreign minister come to address an important topic," Nikolić said.

Pointing out that a country like Serbia, in order to protect itself and its dignity, needs to pay attention to what the world centers of power think, Nikolić warned that for almost eight years, the Serbian diplomacy only cared about Brussels and Washington - while Moscow and Beijing were added to the pillars of foreign policy "only later, when the so-called state of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence."

Nikolić reiterated that he supports Serbia's EU accession, adding that "this is an achievable goal."

The SNS leader also believes that the foreign minster should not be accountable to the president, but to the prime minister, and that the foreign policy goals and the methods for achieving those goals should be determined by the government and not the president.

Irrational policy

LDP's Zoran Ostojić said that Serbia's foreign policy should be "rational, independent and serving the country's top priority, which is EU accession".

He then noted that Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić's policy was "bad".

Ostojić criticized Jeremić for running a balanced policy. Balance means that all priorities are equally important, and that is a mistake, he argued.

"Serbia's entire foreign policy should be aimed towards EU and NATO integration, not because we like NATO, but because it is our interest," Ostojić stressed.

The foreign policy is not independent either, which was proven by the recent visit by Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was welcomed by President Boris Tadić instead of Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, said Ostojić.

"It is normal in independent countries for a prime minister to be welcomed by another prime minister, while the ambassador is the second most important person in the delegation. With us, the head of the delegation was not the prime minister, but the president, while the ambassador to Russia was ranked fifth," Ostojić stated.

The LDP also believes Jeremić's policy is irrational.

"We should not support the North Korean regime or other regimes that violate human rights for the sake of one vote in the UN. The act goes against Japan and South Korea, which is irrational," he underlined.

Ostojić also commented on the International Court of Justice opinion that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was not against international law. Serbia would not have such an opinion on paper had it begun its talks with Kosovo sooner, he thinks.