"Serbia not close to becoming candidate"

Serbian Deputy PM Božidar Đelić has warned that there was "no room to be overly optimistic" ahead of the EU's decision on Serbia's candidate bid.

Izvor: Beta

Tuesday, 06.12.2011.

11:16

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Serbian Deputy PM Bozidar Djelic has warned that there was "no room to be overly optimistic" ahead of the EU's decision on Serbia's candidate bid. In a statement for the media in Belgrade, made in the wake of Monday's meeting of the EU Council of Ministers that discussed the issue, Djelic said the country would be subjected to additional pressure. "Serbia not close to becoming candidate" "Today we are closer to the candidate status than on Friday, but obviously the policy of experting pressure will continue. It's notable that the conclusions, adopted last night at around 2 a.m., intend to require more from Serbia." The fact that the decision on giving Serbia the status of candidate for EU membership was moved to Friday was "no news", he said, and added that "only heads of government and countries have a right to make that decisions". However, continued Djelic, what's new is that 24 countries "fought for Serbia" for seven hours, while the remaining three were steadfast "in certain demands". But the Serbian deputy premier would not specify which three countries he had in mind, saying that "the countries whose soldiers were wounded (in northern Kosovo)" took a hard-line toward Serbia, and now expect "another step". "It has been decided that a number of conditions that from the start of the negotiations with the EU should be moved also to obtaining the candidate status." He stressed that Serbia was not close to becoming candidate and that "more pressure should be expected in days to come". "It's about regional cooperation, but not at the price of our state policy on Kosovo and Metohija. That is clear to our European partners," Djelic was quoted as saying. "I think everyone is clear that Serbia deserves to become a candidate for membership. Whether we will face conditions that have not been put before any other country, that's a different issue. We are simply not ready to accept those conditions," Djelic stated. According to him, those new conditions put before Serbia regard reaching agreement about regional representation of Pristina's officials in regional forums, while there are also attempts to "remove (UNSC) Resolution 1244 from that". Continued removal of barricades in northern Kosovo is also expected, he said. "As for the barricades, they were an expression of the citizens' dissatisfaction at a given moment, today they are a risk and ought to be removed," concluded Djelic. A file photo of Bozidar Djelic (FoNet)

"Serbia not close to becoming candidate"

"Today we are closer to the candidate status than on Friday, but obviously the policy of experting pressure will continue. It's notable that the conclusions, adopted last night at around 2 a.m., intend to require more from Serbia."

The fact that the decision on giving Serbia the status of candidate for EU membership was moved to Friday was "no news", he said, and added that "only heads of government and countries have a right to make that decisions".

However, continued Đelić, what's new is that 24 countries "fought for Serbia" for seven hours, while the remaining three were steadfast "in certain demands".

But the Serbian deputy premier would not specify which three countries he had in mind, saying that "the countries whose soldiers were wounded (in northern Kosovo)" took a hard-line toward Serbia, and now expect "another step".

"It has been decided that a number of conditions that from the start of the negotiations with the EU should be moved also to obtaining the candidate status."

He stressed that Serbia was not close to becoming candidate and that "more pressure should be expected in days to come".

"It's about regional cooperation, but not at the price of our state policy on Kosovo and Metohija. That is clear to our European partners," Đelić was quoted as saying.

"I think everyone is clear that Serbia deserves to become a candidate for membership. Whether we will face conditions that have not been put before any other country, that's a different issue. We are simply not ready to accept those conditions," Đelić stated.

According to him, those new conditions put before Serbia regard reaching agreement about regional representation of Priština's officials in regional forums, while there are also attempts to "remove (UNSC) Resolution 1244 from that".

Continued removal of barricades in northern Kosovo is also expected, he said.

"As for the barricades, they were an expression of the citizens' dissatisfaction at a given moment, today they are a risk and ought to be removed," concluded Đelić.

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