EU accession after Kosovo status resolution

Bozidar Djelic says Serbia will say that Kosovo is its part when it answers EU questionnaire questions about the country's borders, territory and population. The deputy Serbian PM and former U.S. Ambassador in Belgrade William Montgomery both took part in a talk show on B92 TV late on Sunday, and agreed normalization of relations with Pristina is necessary for Serbia's EU entry. EU accession after Kosovo status resolution Djelic also said that giving up on its EU ambition would represent a step back for Sebria while it would give a chance to EU members to consider accepting Kosovo as a member, according to him. "As Montgomery says we will not be able to join the EU until we solve the status of Kosovo but neither will Pristina. This is in fact a spur to find a compromise. Entering the EU spurs to compromise," said he. The former U.S. diplomat said the international community sees Balkan borders as cemented and that everyone wants establishment of a process of normalization from the talks. He also said that he could not say whether there would be conditions during the negotiations concerning the EU, but that he was certain Serbia would not join until there is real normalization, and said this did not mean a recognition of Kosovo as a government and state but full normalization, and that that is something this government will have to accept sooner or later Djelic and Mongtomery also discussed the issue of a partition of Kosovo. "Is partition this only logical in the future? I'm not saying, it's neither the place nor format, but the fact is we have two communities that do not see themselves in the same political corpus and that is something that must have a certain reflection in the solution that will be adopted in the end," said Djelic. Montgomery said that while he personally always advocated the idea, no one in the U.S. government supported it and said that they all believed Kosovo must remain independent, while there was fear of the consequences partition could have in the region, in Macedonia and Bosnia. The former ambassador stressed that there was zero chance for partition to take place after the ICJ advisory opinion and the UN General Assembly resolution in September. Montgomery also stated that he believes that Serbia's EU accession process will be very slow and difficult and that it will not be completed in the next seven or eight years. The former U.S. diplomat said he was certain that Serbia will not become an EU member state as long as it does not arrest the two remaining Hague fugitives, Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, and until the relations with Kosovo are fully normalized. Commenting Serbia's path after the decision of the EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg to forward Serbia's EU candidacy application to the European Commission (EC), Montgomery said that he views the process as an infinite set of steps, adding that each next step on Serbia's EU path will be conditioned. Djelic stated that that if Serbia does not extradite Mladic and Hadzic, it may gain the EU candidate status and even enter talks on the EU membership, but that it will be very difficult for the country to become an EU member state. Djelic also said that the EU path will be demanding and lengthy, but nevertheless good and beneficial for all Serbian citizens.

EU accession after Kosovo status resolution

Đelić also said that giving up on its EU ambition would represent a step back for Sebria while it would give a chance to EU members to consider accepting Kosovo as a member, according to him.

"As Montgomery says we will not be able to join the EU until we solve the status of Kosovo but neither will Priština. This is in fact a spur to find a compromise. Entering the EU spurs to compromise," said he.

The former U.S. diplomat said the international community sees Balkan borders as cemented and that everyone wants establishment of a process of normalization from the talks.

He also said that he could not say whether there would be conditions during the negotiations concerning the EU, but that he was certain Serbia would not join until there is real normalization, and said this did not mean a recognition of Kosovo as a government and state but full normalization, and that that is something this government will have to accept sooner or later

Đelić and Mongtomery also discussed the issue of a partition of Kosovo.

"Is partition this only logical in the future? I'm not saying, it's neither the place nor format, but the fact is we have two communities that do not see themselves in the same political corpus and that is something that must have a certain reflection in the solution that will be adopted in the end," said Đelić.

Montgomery said that while he personally always advocated the idea, no one in the U.S. government supported it and said that they all believed Kosovo must remain independent, while there was fear of the consequences partition could have in the region, in Macedonia and Bosnia.

The former ambassador stressed that there was zero chance for partition to take place after the ICJ advisory opinion and the UN General Assembly resolution in September.

Montgomery also stated that he believes that Serbia's EU accession process will be very slow and difficult and that it will not be completed in the next seven or eight years.

The former U.S. diplomat said he was certain that Serbia will not become an EU member state as long as it does not arrest the two remaining Hague fugitives, Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić, and until the relations with Kosovo are fully normalized.

Commenting Serbia's path after the decision of the EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg to forward Serbia's EU candidacy application to the European Commission (EC), Montgomery said that he views the process as an infinite set of steps, adding that each next step on Serbia's EU path will be conditioned.

Đelić stated that that if Serbia does not extradite Mladić and Hadžić, it may gain the EU candidate status and even enter talks on the EU membership, but that it will be very difficult for the country to become an EU member state.

Đelić also said that the EU path will be demanding and lengthy, but nevertheless good and beneficial for all Serbian citizens.