PM describes visit to Brussels as "positive"

BRUSSELS Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic on Wednesday finished his two-day visit to Brussels, where he conferred with EU and Belgian officials. Dacic stated Thursday that he made it clear to his interlocutors in Brussels that Serbia will not change its position and recognize the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo and Metohija. PM describes visit to Brussels as "positive" Dacic qualified the statement of EP President Martin Schultz that mutual recognition stands at the end of Kosovo and Serbia's EU path as a personal opinion based on the views of his country - Germany. The prime minister also stated that the entire visit to Brussels was positive, including the meeting at the European Parliament, and added that the tone of discussion was quite different for the first time. "The atmosphere is more relaxed, there are no pressures, because we do not want to become an EU member or get a positive opinion at any cost. We want a process that will lead to that. We want honest relations, where agreements are not made only to be broken later on and terms changed at the last minute," Dacic told Tanjug. Upon wrapping up the visit during which he met with 12 senior European and Belgian officials, he said that he received a clear message that doors to the EU are open for Serbia and that it is necessary that our country fulfills what was specified in the decision of the Council of Europe in December last year so that it could get a date for the start of negotiations. "The EU knows where it stands with us. I made it clear what we can and cannot do, and we can seek a solution within that," the Serbian Prime Minister said. He said he is very satisfied with this visit, adding that the space within which talks can be led towards relaxing the relations between Belgrade and Pristina should be carefully analyzed in the upcoming weeks. The future talks must not be led with the intention of ending them with the recognition of Kosovo's independence, but with finding a model to protect Serbia's national and state interests and at the same time help it continue its European path, Dacic concluded. Ivica Dacic, Catherine Ashton and Ivan Mrkic (Beta) Tanjug

PM describes visit to Brussels as "positive"

Dačić qualified the statement of EP President Martin Schultz that mutual recognition stands at the end of Kosovo and Serbia's EU path as a personal opinion based on the views of his country - Germany.

The prime minister also stated that the entire visit to Brussels was positive, including the meeting at the European Parliament, and added that the tone of discussion was quite different for the first time.

"The atmosphere is more relaxed, there are no pressures, because we do not want to become an EU member or get a positive opinion at any cost. We want a process that will lead to that. We want honest relations, where agreements are not made only to be broken later on and terms changed at the last minute," Dačić told Tanjug.

Upon wrapping up the visit during which he met with 12 senior European and Belgian officials, he said that he received a clear message that doors to the EU are open for Serbia and that it is necessary that our country fulfills what was specified in the decision of the Council of Europe in December last year so that it could get a date for the start of negotiations.

"The EU knows where it stands with us. I made it clear what we can and cannot do, and we can seek a solution within that," the Serbian Prime Minister said.

He said he is very satisfied with this visit, adding that the space within which talks can be led towards relaxing the relations between Belgrade and Pristina should be carefully analyzed in the upcoming weeks.

The future talks must not be led with the intention of ending them with the recognition of Kosovo's independence, but with finding a model to protect Serbia's national and state interests and at the same time help it continue its European path, Dačić concluded.