FMs of Serbia, Luxembourg on Kosovo, Hague, visas

A potential crisis stemming from a possible reintroduction of EU visas for Serbia will be avoided and all the criteria set by the EU met in the next few days. This is according to Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. FMs of Serbia, Luxembourg on Kosovo, Hague, visas At a joint press conference on Tuesday in Belgrade with visiting Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Jeremic pointed out that Luxembourg fully supported Serbia on the issue. Jeremic stressed that Luxembourg had always supported the integration of Western Balkans into the EU, but stressed that the situation in the Union's political and economic domains was now complex. "We have a complex situation now, but it is important not to fail, not to lose energy and not to yield to the pressure of external circumstances," the Serbian foreign minister said, stressing that Serbia should maintain the policy and direction it has chosen. Commenting on the talks between Belgrade and Pristina, Jeremic stressed that head of the Belgrade's negotiating team Borko Stefanovic was not holding the discussions on behalf of the Serbian Foreign Ministry, because the ministry had bilateral contacts only with independent states. "Kosovo is not an independent state and Serbia's position on the issue will remain the same. The Foreign Ministry supports Stefanovic only by technical assistance, and the same is the case with all other institutions," Jeremic explained. He also mentioned the idea that former chief Hague prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, could lead an investigation into the case organ trafficking in Kosovo, but noted he could not name anyone in that regard, adding that it was "only important the investigation was conducted under the supervision of a credible and respectable person". "The issue cannot be pushed aside and the fact that the investigation has not yet been launched forgotten," Jeremic underscored. "At present, everything is at an impasse and it will be so until the UN Security Council gives a clear mandate for launching the investigation," he argued. Jeremic expressed the expectation that the pressure to launch the investigation and punish those responsible would grow steadily in the world community and that "it will not be possible to cover up the whole case". The atrocities are alleged to have happened in Kosovo in 1999 and 2000, with members of the ethnic Albanian KLA named as perpetrators, and Serb and other kidnapped civilians their victims. Addressing the issue of fake asylum seekers traveling to EU countries with Serbian passports, Asselborn said that the Serbian government had implemented a number of important measures related to the issue of false asylum seekers in recent weeks, adding that the measures had already been showing results and that Luxembourg was aware of that. He said that Serbia could become a candidate for European Union membership by the end of the year, even if the remaining two Hague fugitives - Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic - were not extradited to the Tribunal. However, it is vital that Serbia shows clear political will for their arrest, Asselborn stressed. Asselborn welcomed the talks between representatives of Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, adding that it would be good if they could be run without any intermediaries. The Luxembourg's foreign minister said that "the issues of European integration of Serbia and Kosovo were not directly related", but that they had "some common points to them". Asselborn and Jeremic in Belgrade today (Beta)

FMs of Serbia, Luxembourg on Kosovo, Hague, visas

At a joint press conference on Tuesday in Belgrade with visiting Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Jeremić pointed out that Luxembourg fully supported Serbia on the issue.

Jeremić stressed that Luxembourg had always supported the integration of Western Balkans into the EU, but stressed that the situation in the Union's political and economic domains was now complex.

"We have a complex situation now, but it is important not to fail, not to lose energy and not to yield to the pressure of external circumstances," the Serbian foreign minister said, stressing that Serbia should maintain the policy and direction it has chosen.

Commenting on the talks between Belgrade and Priština, Jeremić stressed that head of the Belgrade's negotiating team Borko Stefanović was not holding the discussions on behalf of the Serbian Foreign Ministry, because the ministry had bilateral contacts only with independent states.

"Kosovo is not an independent state and Serbia's position on the issue will remain the same. The Foreign Ministry supports Stefanović only by technical assistance, and the same is the case with all other institutions," Jeremić explained.

He also mentioned the idea that former chief Hague prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, could lead an investigation into the case organ trafficking in Kosovo, but noted he could not name anyone in that regard, adding that it was "only important the investigation was conducted under the supervision of a credible and respectable person".

"The issue cannot be pushed aside and the fact that the investigation has not yet been launched forgotten," Jeremić underscored. "At present, everything is at an impasse and it will be so until the UN Security Council gives a clear mandate for launching the investigation," he argued.

Jeremić expressed the expectation that the pressure to launch the investigation and punish those responsible would grow steadily in the world community and that "it will not be possible to cover up the whole case". The atrocities are alleged to have happened in Kosovo in 1999 and 2000, with members of the ethnic Albanian KLA named as perpetrators, and Serb and other kidnapped civilians their victims.

Addressing the issue of fake asylum seekers traveling to EU countries with Serbian passports, Asselborn said that the Serbian government had implemented a number of important measures related to the issue of false asylum seekers in recent weeks, adding that the measures had already been showing results and that Luxembourg was aware of that.

He said that Serbia could become a candidate for European Union membership by the end of the year, even if the remaining two Hague fugitives - Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić - were not extradited to the Tribunal. However, it is vital that Serbia shows clear political will for their arrest, Asselborn stressed.

Asselborn welcomed the talks between representatives of Belgrade and Priština in Brussels, adding that it would be good if they could be run without any intermediaries.

The Luxembourg's foreign minister said that "the issues of European integration of Serbia and Kosovo were not directly related", but that they had "some common points to them".