U.S. against elections in Kosovo, ambassador says

The U.S. supports Kosovo’s sovereignty, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick has said. She added that local election in the north would bring representatives who would have no authority according to Kosovo laws. U.S. against elections in Kosovo, ambassador says Warlick stressed that this was an issue that “should be addressed”. “When Serbia carried out the voting in Kosovo in 2008, a special UN secretary general’s envoy stated that the elections and their result, just like the formed Serbian municipal institutions, had no legitimacy. Therefore, this is the issue we should address,” she told daily Vecernje novosti. The ambassador says that the issue of Kosovo’s status was “finished” as far as the U.S. was concerned. “President (Boris) Tadic has spoken about his four-point plan many times, we have realized that his ideas are still being debated so we do not have an official stand on it,” she explained. The ambassador explained that the U.S. believed that Kosovo’s independence was a “special case” and that it should be treated as a precedent. “One should keep in mind that the Kosovo Constitution provides protection to Kosovo Serbs. Serbs south of the Ibar River are already using these guarantees in order to develop their communities and protect their interests. We would like to see progress in the rule of law in northern Kosovo so the Serbs living there would have a better quality of life. We strongly believe that partition is not in anybody’s interest and that it would only divert energy from the real focus – improvement of people’s lives,” Warlick pointed out. She added that the issue of Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo was at the moment much less important than the issue of better life of the people in the region. The U.S. ambassador noted that the issue of Kosovo was something that the U.S. and Serbia saw through different eyes. “But we have been working hard together, despite our mutual differences regarding the recognition of the independence. Both Serbia and the U.S., and all the countries in the region, recognize the importance of stability and good neighborly relations. There is a great understanding of importance to establish normal and predictable relations with Kosovo in Serbia as well, so both sides could move forward. The U.S. will continue to do its part as far as the support is concerned, primarily the dialogue, which we believe is extremely important in order to find a solution to open issues,” Warlick concluded. Mary Warlick Vecernje novosti

U.S. against elections in Kosovo, ambassador says

Warlick stressed that this was an issue that “should be addressed”.

“When Serbia carried out the voting in Kosovo in 2008, a special UN secretary general’s envoy stated that the elections and their result, just like the formed Serbian municipal institutions, had no legitimacy. Therefore, this is the issue we should address,” she told daily Večernje novosti.

The ambassador says that the issue of Kosovo’s status was “finished” as far as the U.S. was concerned.

“President (Boris) Tadić has spoken about his four-point plan many times, we have realized that his ideas are still being debated so we do not have an official stand on it,” she explained.

The ambassador explained that the U.S. believed that Kosovo’s independence was a “special case” and that it should be treated as a precedent.

“One should keep in mind that the Kosovo Constitution provides protection to Kosovo Serbs. Serbs south of the Ibar River are already using these guarantees in order to develop their communities and protect their interests. We would like to see progress in the rule of law in northern Kosovo so the Serbs living there would have a better quality of life. We strongly believe that partition is not in anybody’s interest and that it would only divert energy from the real focus – improvement of people’s lives,” Warlick pointed out.

She added that the issue of Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo was at the moment much less important than the issue of better life of the people in the region.

The U.S. ambassador noted that the issue of Kosovo was something that the U.S. and Serbia saw through different eyes.

“But we have been working hard together, despite our mutual differences regarding the recognition of the independence. Both Serbia and the U.S., and all the countries in the region, recognize the importance of stability and good neighborly relations. There is a great understanding of importance to establish normal and predictable relations with Kosovo in Serbia as well, so both sides could move forward. The U.S. will continue to do its part as far as the support is concerned, primarily the dialogue, which we believe is extremely important in order to find a solution to open issues,” Warlick concluded.