Analysts look at U.S. VP visit

Political analysts in Serbia see the visit of U.S Vice-President Joseph Biden as a rekindling of America’s interest in the Balkans. Announcements of the U.S. administration that it will help Serbia with its European integration and that America will not ask Serbia to recognize Kosovo Albanians' unilaterally declared independence, have been deemed as the most important messages of Biden’s visit here on Wednesday. Analysts look at U.S. VP visit “I would said that the U.S. vice president knew that he had to say what was important to he public. He wanted to tell people, ‘I did not come to pressure, condition, blackmail, this is a friendly visit, we agreed before the visit to not agree about Kosovo’,” journalist and former Politika editor-in-chief Ljiljana Smajlovic commented. The daily's present editor-in-chief Dragan Bujosevic said that the most important message from Biden was that the American administration will not ask Serbia to recognize Kosovo, and that "the only small surprise was that Serbian President Boris Tadic reiterated to Biden that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo". Mentioning Euro-Atlantic integration during his visit was a call for Serbia to join NATO, but not a demand, Bujosevic believes. “I do not think that America expects Serbia to join NATO, because they know very well what the mood is, that most of the public is not in favor of that now. On the other hand, America knows that Serbia is in Partnership for Peace, which is NATO’s backyard and that Serbia has not used the capacities of that partnership yet,” he said. Foreign policy analyst Bosko Jaksic said that "this is a new beginning for relations between the two countries". “The fact alone that the U.S. vice-president was sent here, in a region that was completely on the periphery of American foreign policy interest after September 11, is very important by itself. That is the sign of a very serious change,” Jaksic said. But analyst Djordje Vukadinovic believes that Biden came to Belgrade to ask for Serbia’s cooperation over Kosovo, "while using diplomatic language". “Serbia is being asked not to interfere with the process of Kosovo’s entrance into international institutions. What is degrading is that the U.S. is lobbying very openly the whole time, from country to country, and the media everywhere is reporting about that – everywhere but in Serbia. Every day American diplomats pressure foreign affairs ministers and ask them when they will recognize Kosovo,” Vukadinovic said. However, the pundits all agree that Biden’s visit to Belgrade was of great importance, because he is the top-ranked American official that has visited Belgrade in the last 29 years. Meanwhile stateside, some believe that the U.S. vice president's Balkan tour showed that the U.S. is "not completely satisfied with the role of the European Union in the region". "The message Biden brought to Serbian officials is that Kosovo is independent, and that the sooner Serbia accepts that fact the better, because of her own European integration," Daniel Serwer of the Washington Institute for Peace told Voice of America. “It is clear that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo. It can at least accept its membership in the General Assembly, in order to give Russia the signal to stop blocking Kosovo,” he was quoted as saying. The new U.S. administration, according to Serwer, is showing new foreign policy priorities, “which include offering a hand of cooperation to Serbia”. “The U.S. is supporting European engagement. This is proven by the joint visit with [Javier] Solana to Sarajevo,” he was quoted. Biden in Belgrade (Beta/AP)

Analysts look at U.S. VP visit

“I would said that the U.S. vice president knew that he had to say what was important to he public. He wanted to tell people, ‘I did not come to pressure, condition, blackmail, this is a friendly visit, we agreed before the visit to not agree about Kosovo’,” journalist and former Politika editor-in-chief Ljiljana Smajlović commented.

The daily's present editor-in-chief Dragan Bujošević said that the most important message from Biden was that the American administration will not ask Serbia to recognize Kosovo, and that "the only small surprise was that Serbian President Boris Tadić reiterated to Biden that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo".

Mentioning Euro-Atlantic integration during his visit was a call for Serbia to join NATO, but not a demand, Bujošević believes.

“I do not think that America expects Serbia to join NATO, because they know very well what the mood is, that most of the public is not in favor of that now. On the other hand, America knows that Serbia is in Partnership for Peace, which is NATO’s backyard and that Serbia has not used the capacities of that partnership yet,” he said.

Foreign policy analyst Boško Jakšić said that "this is a new beginning for relations between the two countries".

“The fact alone that the U.S. vice-president was sent here, in a region that was completely on the periphery of American foreign policy interest after September 11, is very important by itself. That is the sign of a very serious change,” Jakšić said.

But analyst Đorđe Vukadinović believes that Biden came to Belgrade to ask for Serbia’s cooperation over Kosovo, "while using diplomatic language".

“Serbia is being asked not to interfere with the process of Kosovo’s entrance into international institutions. What is degrading is that the U.S. is lobbying very openly the whole time, from country to country, and the media everywhere is reporting about that – everywhere but in Serbia. Every day American diplomats pressure foreign affairs ministers and ask them when they will recognize Kosovo,” Vukadinović said.

However, the pundits all agree that Biden’s visit to Belgrade was of great importance, because he is the top-ranked American official that has visited Belgrade in the last 29 years.

Meanwhile stateside, some believe that the U.S. vice president's Balkan tour showed that the U.S. is "not completely satisfied with the role of the European Union in the region".

"The message Biden brought to Serbian officials is that Kosovo is independent, and that the sooner Serbia accepts that fact the better, because of her own European integration," Daniel Serwer of the Washington Institute for Peace told Voice of America.

“It is clear that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo. It can at least accept its membership in the General Assembly, in order to give Russia the signal to stop blocking Kosovo,” he was quoted as saying.

The new U.S. administration, according to Serwer, is showing new foreign policy priorities, “which include offering a hand of cooperation to Serbia”.

“The U.S. is supporting European engagement. This is proven by the joint visit with [Javier] Solana to Sarajevo,” he was quoted.