Nikolić: Unacceptable paper prepared for Serbia

BELGRADE Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said on Monday in Belgrade that "some paper" would be offered to Serbia's top officials in Brussels. According to the president, this document is "for now absolutely unacceptable for Serbia". Nikolic: Unacceptable paper prepared for Serbia Nikolic, PM Ivica Dacic, and his first deputy, Aleksandar Vucic, are scheduled to meet with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Brussels later today. "I expect they will offer us some paper in Brussels, the draft of which I have seen, and if no changes occur, this paper is absolutely unacceptable for Serbia," Nikolic told reporters in front of the Venezuelan embassy in Belgrade, after he signed the book of condolences opened for President Hugo Chavez. "If they offer us a paper that contains transcribed laws that have been made in Pristina in the meantime, without any consideration of Serbia's rights, if it becomes clear from that paper that they almost recognize Kosovo as a state, while not taking Serbian into account, then that will mean that the EU does not want us as its member, after all," he stated. Asked by reporters to clarify what sort of paper he had in mind, Nikolic said it was "a draft about the rights that the Serb community would have within the Pristina administration", and that these rights were envisaged in Pristina "through laws on local self-government, and others". According to him, Belgrade had "opened many roads during the past year, aware that someone could present us with an ultimatum". "Serbia never could stand ultimatums," noted the president. He then stressed that the paper "cannot be accepted also because the Serbian parliament passed its resolution that determined Serbia's position regarding the talks and negotiations in Brussels". Asked about his "red lines", Nikolic responded: "My red line is that Serbia recognizes Kosovo as a territory that is specific compared to other parts of Serbia, that it is ready to accept much of what Kosovo has already obtained with the help of the UN and the EU, that it knows that Kosovo, such as it is, has its constitution, laws, president, government and parliament. However, in that territory - which we will never recognize as an independent state - there is a large Serbian community which we wish to completely preserve, and enable for its return." He added that the same rights should apply to Serbs in Kosovo that Serbia was giving Albanians there, and that Serbs would not ask for anything beside what Serbia "agrees for them - and which they later must implement, in cooperation with the institutions in Pristina and the international community". Nikolic also said that there would be a red line for him for as long as he was in politics, while the citizens of Serbia "can move it back or forward, agree or disagree" - and that the president "should take the consequences from the citizens disagreeing with him". "Serbs are not seeking independence from Kosovo, which in itself is not independent, Serbs are not asking to be the Serb Republic, but they are asking to be recognized by someone as people who live there and have their rights, not as people that are slated to be relocated one day," said the president, and added: "Then this problem would disappear as far as the international community is concerned, just as it disappeared when Croatia expelled Serbs, just as it disappeared in other parts of former Yugoslavia when Serbs were driven out." Nikolic talks with reporters in Belgrade on Monday (Tanjug) Beta Tanjug

Nikolić: Unacceptable paper prepared for Serbia

Nikolić, PM Ivica Dačić, and his first deputy, Aleksandar Vučić, are scheduled to meet with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Brussels later today.

"I expect they will offer us some paper in Brussels, the draft of which I have seen, and if no changes occur, this paper is absolutely unacceptable for Serbia," Nikolić told reporters in front of the Venezuelan embassy in Belgrade, after he signed the book of condolences opened for President Hugo Chavez.

"If they offer us a paper that contains transcribed laws that have been made in Priština in the meantime, without any consideration of Serbia's rights, if it becomes clear from that paper that they almost recognize Kosovo as a state, while not taking Serbian into account, then that will mean that the EU does not want us as its member, after all," he stated.

Asked by reporters to clarify what sort of paper he had in mind, Nikolić said it was "a draft about the rights that the Serb community would have within the Priština administration", and that these rights were envisaged in Priština "through laws on local self-government, and others".

According to him, Belgrade had "opened many roads during the past year, aware that someone could present us with an ultimatum".

"Serbia never could stand ultimatums," noted the president.

He then stressed that the paper "cannot be accepted also because the Serbian parliament passed its resolution that determined Serbia's position regarding the talks and negotiations in Brussels".

Asked about his "red lines", Nikolić responded:

"My red line is that Serbia recognizes Kosovo as a territory that is specific compared to other parts of Serbia, that it is ready to accept much of what Kosovo has already obtained with the help of the UN and the EU, that it knows that Kosovo, such as it is, has its constitution, laws, president, government and parliament. However, in that territory - which we will never recognize as an independent state - there is a large Serbian community which we wish to completely preserve, and enable for its return."

He added that the same rights should apply to Serbs in Kosovo that Serbia was giving Albanians there, and that Serbs would not ask for anything beside what Serbia "agrees for them - and which they later must implement, in cooperation with the institutions in Priština and the international community".

Nikolić also said that there would be a red line for him for as long as he was in politics, while the citizens of Serbia "can move it back or forward, agree or disagree" - and that the president "should take the consequences from the citizens disagreeing with him".

"Serbs are not seeking independence from Kosovo, which in itself is not independent, Serbs are not asking to be the Serb Republic, but they are asking to be recognized by someone as people who live there and have their rights, not as people that are slated to be relocated one day," said the president, and added:

"Then this problem would disappear as far as the international community is concerned, just as it disappeared when Croatia expelled Serbs, just as it disappeared in other parts of former Yugoslavia when Serbs were driven out."