Moment is right to solve Kosovo issue, experts say

BELGRADE The dialogue’s failure is not only Serbia’s failure but also Kosovo and the EU’s, analysts Ognjen Pribicevic and Vesna Pesic have stated. They told B92 that now was the moment to solve the Kosovo issue. Moment is right to solve Kosovo issue, experts say When asked whether he knew what exactly had been offered in Brussels on April 2 and if it could have been accepted, Pribicevic said Serbia had been offered something similar to the document that had been released by Belgrade-based daily Politika. According to him, the documents contains some examples of autonomies in the world but it does not contain a solution for two key issues – the judiciary and police. “One should not forget that this is not neither Italy nor Austria and that this is the Balkans where the issue of security is very important,” he noted. Pribicevic stressed that Belgrade had been offered less than it had requested, adding that President Tomislav Nikolic had presented Serbia’s requests – to allow Kosovo Serbs to have police with adequate ethnical composition and a Serb chief and the judiciary that would be similarly organized. He also requested that the military in territories with the majority Serb population not be Kosovo troops. “We now see that the Serbian negotiating team has not gotten any of that and we can really say that we were offered much less than we had requested,” he explained. However, he does not believe that Serbia should have a dilemma whether to join the EU or not. “Serbia cannot be without the EU. Only Norway and Switzerland are outside the system but they are full of oil and money. We have neither oil nor money. Look at Serbia. We do not have a potential to attract great European powers to invest here so we could develop,” Pribicevic pointed out. Pesic also believes that Serbia needs to show determination to continue the EU pathway. She believes that Serbia should take advantage of the fact that not Serbia is blocked but also Kosovo due to the failed talks, stressing that the dialogue’s failure was not only Serbia’s failure but also Kosovo and EU’s because too much time had been wasted on the talks. Pesic said that pressure should now be exerted on other countries, such as France and Great Britain, to become directly involved in the process of the solving of the Ksoovo issue, adding that Serbia should show it was unambiguously determined to solve the issue. Both Pesic and Pribicevic believe it was now the right moment to solve the Kosovo issue and stress that the government had support of 60 percent of citizens to do so. Ognjen Pribicevic (Tanjug, file) B92

Moment is right to solve Kosovo issue, experts say

When asked whether he knew what exactly had been offered in Brussels on April 2 and if it could have been accepted, Pribićević said Serbia had been offered something similar to the document that had been released by Belgrade-based daily Politika.

According to him, the documents contains some examples of autonomies in the world but it does not contain a solution for two key issues – the judiciary and police.

“One should not forget that this is not neither Italy nor Austria and that this is the Balkans where the issue of security is very important,” he noted.

Pribićević stressed that Belgrade had been offered less than it had requested, adding that President Tomislav Nikolić had presented Serbia’s requests – to allow Kosovo Serbs to have police with adequate ethnical composition and a Serb chief and the judiciary that would be similarly organized. He also requested that the military in territories with the majority Serb population not be Kosovo troops.

“We now see that the Serbian negotiating team has not gotten any of that and we can really say that we were offered much less than we had requested,” he explained.

However, he does not believe that Serbia should have a dilemma whether to join the EU or not.

“Serbia cannot be without the EU. Only Norway and Switzerland are outside the system but they are full of oil and money. We have neither oil nor money. Look at Serbia. We do not have a potential to attract great European powers to invest here so we could develop,” Pribićević pointed out.

Pešić also believes that Serbia needs to show determination to continue the EU pathway. She believes that Serbia should take advantage of the fact that not Serbia is blocked but also Kosovo due to the failed talks, stressing that the dialogue’s failure was not only Serbia’s failure but also Kosovo and EU’s because too much time had been wasted on the talks.

Pešić said that pressure should now be exerted on other countries, such as France and Great Britain, to become directly involved in the process of the solving of the Ksoovo issue, adding that Serbia should show it was unambiguously determined to solve the issue.

Both Pešić and Pribićević believe it was now the right moment to solve the Kosovo issue and stress that the government had support of 60 percent of citizens to do so.