Zobel apologizes, government sends protest

Zobel apologizes, government sends protest

Zobel added all his statements, whether true or misconstrued, could only be assigned to him personally, and not to the state of Germany or the European Union. He added that he “at no point” said Hungary had any territorial pretensions toward the province of Vojvodina.

The German ambassador told the brief news conference that his personal position was that Kosovo was a unique case.

On Wednesday, media reported Zobel told a Forum for International Relations of the European Movement in Serbia that if the solution for Kosovo fell short of independence, “problems in Vojvodina and Sandžak might flare up”.

Zobel said that insisting on Kosovo remaining an integral part of Serbia, based on the claim that it officially became Serbian land in 1912, meant that Hungary could try to claim Vojvodina, a Serbian province since 1918.

Zobel was also quoted as saying “it was untrue that Kosovo had always belonged to Serbia, since it officially became Serbia’s in 1912, along with Vojvodina, which joined in 1918.”

“This is not a threat, but a mere analysis,” he said adding that Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica’s insistence that Kosovo is Serbia’s land “led to stagnation and a situation Serbia couldn’t win.”

He stated his belief that Serbs and Albanians could never reach an agreement, explaining that the push for the continuation of the talks was only meant to postpone the final status settlement.

According to Zobel, the UN fact-finding mission set to determine the implementation of the standards “could only come to one conclusion – Serbs and Albanians cannot live together.”

“Such a mission will postpone the solution for two more months,” the German Ambassador said.

He commented on UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s proposal which envisions supervised independence for the province, deeming it “not good, but better than all other possible solutions.”

“During the 15-month long negotiations that came eight years after the international community took over the administration over the province, Serbia never offered a concept for the reintegration of Kosovo. Ethnic Albanians want independence, and Serbia cannot incorporate them into its ranks,” Zobel was reported as saying.

“Many people in Serbia are satisfied with the fact that Albanians live separate lives, but they wish to keep Kosovo within Serbia’s borders,” he added.

The German Ambassador also noted that neither prime minister Koštunica, president Tadić, nor their advisors could explain the exact meaning of the formula “more than autonomy, less than independence,” adding that, in his opinion, Serbia “deserved better political elite.”

“Instead of insisting on keeping Kosovo within Serbia, it would be wise to work on enabling Serbia and Kosovo join the European Union in the next 20 to 25 years,” Zobel maintained.

Zobel also said that Kosovo was indeed Serbia’s land according to international law.

“However, Serbia cannot regain control over the province, as its Albanian majority no longer wishes to live in Serbia. That’s why Kosovo is a unique case,” Zobel said.

“There are those in Serbia who hope to see Albanians rioting in Kosovo so that they can say they were right all along when they warned the international community of terrorism threats in Kosovo,” Zobel said.

“Most impertinent meddling”

Meanwhile, the Serbian government reported on its website it would send “a most severe protest to the German government regarding Ambassador Zobel’s statements”.

In a meeting convened Thursday, the government described Zobel’s remarks as “the most impertinent meddling into Serbia’s affairs”

“Ambassador Zobel has in many ways brought up the issue of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as the issue of the inviolability of its internationally recognized borders,” a statement from the session said.

“Despite the hospitality he was shown in Serbia, Ambassador Zobel has demonstrated disrespect for the dignity of state institutions in this country,” it continues.

“The Serbian government rightfully awaits an explanation from the German government on whether Ambassador Zobel stated the German government’s official position and points out that in all previous contacts between Serbia and Germany at the highest state level the countries showed and confirmed the willingness to maintain satisfactory relations,” the statement says.

“We hope to receive a clear explanation from the German government on Ambassador Zobel’s statements as soon as possible,” the statement concludes.

German embassy denies Vojvodina remarks

Earlier today, the German embassy in Belgrade reacted to what it says was incorrect interpretation of Ambassador Andreas Zobel’s words.

“Ambassador Zobel’s statements during the meeting of the Forum for International Relations of the European Movement in Serbia have been taken out of context and do not represent the truth. Not at any point did Ambassador Zobel claim that Hungary could open up the Vojvodina issue, as was reported in the media,” the statement said.

“On the contrary, the Forum participants asked Ambassador Zobel whether he was worried about possible instability in Vojvodina and other parts of Serbia, to which the ambassador answered that the EU integration was the best guarantee for Serbia’s stability. The Ambassador also pointed to the need to be careful when making historic claims and parallels.”

The statement also addressed the interpretation of part of his statement concerning Serbia’s political elite.

“Ambassador Zobel did not generalize to say that Serbia needed a better political elite, instead he warned that, in his opinion, Serbia’s political leadership needed to take on the responsibility to form a new government as soon as possible,” the statement ends.