President warns EU's decision could go either way

Boris Tadic spoke for B92 in Brussels late on Tuesday to say that a recommendation to make Serbia candidate for EU membership "does not mean the job is done". The Serbian president has been holding meetings with top EU officials as the EU foreign ministers failed to reach a decision on Serbia's candidate bid, instead making a recommendation to the EU Council, which is set to meet on March 1 and 2 and have the last say in the matter. President warns EU's decision could go either way "That is only a recommendation, the decision of the EU Council is pending, and there is a possibility that this recommendation could be annulled. Nothing is over yet, we are carrying on doing what we have been doing before in these 48 hours until the EU Council meets," said Tadic. He also asserted that "no decision of the council would surprise him", and refused to make predictions or reveal whether he was optimistic. Asked whether he was surprised by Romania's hard-line position against Serbian candidacy over the issue of the Vlach minority, Tadic said that he spoke to his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu about Romanian demands to receive "firm guarantees about protection of rights of the Romanian minority in Serbia". "That is their principled issue and Romania, like any other country, is doing nothing but defending its interests, wishing to protects its ethnic community in a neighboring country. We respect human rights and freedoms and that is an issue of respecting the principles we fought for in the 1990s," said Tadic, who was an opposition politician in that period. Speaking about his now ruling Democratic Party (DS) and its present-day political opponents - several months before the general election - he stated that he expected they would try to "minimize the importance" of the EU decision should Serbia become a candidate for membership, and added that this "syndrome" was known in psychology as "sour grapes". Tadic is also confident that the citizens would benefit from the candidature with "creation of new jobs, as it provides for additional security for investments". According to the president, "Serbia would today be holding accession talks with the EU if there weren't for the Kosovo problem that is burdening our policy". He reiterated that Serbia would continue to negotiate with Pristina "on all the issues that all in line with international conventions and respect of human rights", but that "no type of blackmail will ever be accepted". "This is a test for the 'both EU and Kosovo' policy - but I am convinced that there is no other possibility, that we must care about our citizens, contribute to the policy of reconciliation and move toward the EU. And everyone should know that we do not accept blackmail. I spoke about that today in Brussels with Mr. (JOse Manuel) Barroso and Mrs. (Catherine) Ashton, and everyone in Brussels knows this full well. We are continuing the negotiations, we wish to find solutions for the problems that trouble our citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, but we will not be crossing the red line," said Tadic. Boris Tadic is seen in Brussels on Tuesday (Tanjug) B92

President warns EU's decision could go either way

"That is only a recommendation, the decision of the EU Council is pending, and there is a possibility that this recommendation could be annulled. Nothing is over yet, we are carrying on doing what we have been doing before in these 48 hours until the EU Council meets," said Tadić.

He also asserted that "no decision of the council would surprise him", and refused to make predictions or reveal whether he was optimistic.

Asked whether he was surprised by Romania's hard-line position against Serbian candidacy over the issue of the Vlach minority, Tadić said that he spoke to his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu about Romanian demands to receive "firm guarantees about protection of rights of the Romanian minority in Serbia".

"That is their principled issue and Romania, like any other country, is doing nothing but defending its interests, wishing to protects its ethnic community in a neighboring country. We respect human rights and freedoms and that is an issue of respecting the principles we fought for in the 1990s," said Tadić, who was an opposition politician in that period.

Speaking about his now ruling Democratic Party (DS) and its present-day political opponents - several months before the general election - he stated that he expected they would try to "minimize the importance" of the EU decision should Serbia become a candidate for membership, and added that this "syndrome" was known in psychology as "sour grapes".

Tadić is also confident that the citizens would benefit from the candidature with "creation of new jobs, as it provides for additional security for investments".

According to the president, "Serbia would today be holding accession talks with the EU if there weren't for the Kosovo problem that is burdening our policy".

He reiterated that Serbia would continue to negotiate with Priština "on all the issues that all in line with international conventions and respect of human rights", but that "no type of blackmail will ever be accepted".

"This is a test for the 'both EU and Kosovo' policy - but I am convinced that there is no other possibility, that we must care about our citizens, contribute to the policy of reconciliation and move toward the EU. And everyone should know that we do not accept blackmail. I spoke about that today in Brussels with Mr. (JOse Manuel) Barroso and Mrs. (Catherine) Ashton, and everyone in Brussels knows this full well. We are continuing the negotiations, we wish to find solutions for the problems that trouble our citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, but we will not be crossing the red line," said Tadić.