FM: Western Balkans faces "two more issues"

At a time of great global transformation, the Western Balkans is on its way to completing the process of democratic consolidation, says Serbia's FM Vuk Jeremic. But there are two more issues to be addressed - the minister said during a conference in Athens on Thursday, and asserted those were "Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina". FM: Western Balkans faces "two more issues" Serbia has consolidated its democratic institutions and restored the rule of law, Jeremic told the conference organized by The Economist magazine. "We have been cooperating fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. We have built a market economy, reformed the administrative system, transformed our military and improved human and minority rights, and we have done it all with a modest budget supported by responsible monetary and fiscal policies," Jeremic stated. Serbia does not and will not recognize implicitly or explicitly the attempted secession of Kosovo, the minister stressed. According to Jeremic, Serbia has been fighting Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence for the past three years, and it has been doing so by employing solely diplomatic means, trying to bring Kosovo back to the negotiating table, which it succeeded when the whole world agreed that dialogue was the only way towards peace in Kosovo. "I wish to emphasize that Serbia is strongly committed to that dialogue," he pointed out, adding that the key to the success of the talks is compromise. The serious allegations of human organ trafficking in Kosovo have to be fully and independently investigated under the authority of the international community, which requires the involvement of the United Nations Security Council, he underlined. As for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jeremic stated that Serbia would continue to be constructive in helping to settle issues there. "We firmly believe that both entities and all three peoples have to reach a consensus to ensure legitimacy and sustainability. That will require mutual respect, pragmatism and compromise on a number of issues, including the judiciary reform," the minister added. In order to achieve that goal, the Office of the High Representative and its authority to impose decisions on the entities should be abolished. It is absurd for a sovereign country with UN membership to be run by a foreign official whose authority can only be compared to the most despotic of the world's governments, Jeremic commented. There is absolutely no justification to maintain a situation like that in the heart of Europe in the 21st century, he concluded. Vuk Jeremic (Tanjug, file)

FM: Western Balkans faces "two more issues"

Serbia has consolidated its democratic institutions and restored the rule of law, Jeremić told the conference organized by The Economist magazine.

"We have been cooperating fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. We have built a market economy, reformed the administrative system, transformed our military and improved human and minority rights, and we have done it all with a modest budget supported by responsible monetary and fiscal policies," Jeremić stated.

Serbia does not and will not recognize implicitly or explicitly the attempted secession of Kosovo, the minister stressed.

According to Jeremić, Serbia has been fighting Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence for the past three years, and it has been doing so by employing solely diplomatic means, trying to bring Kosovo back to the negotiating table, which it succeeded when the whole world agreed that dialogue was the only way towards peace in Kosovo.

"I wish to emphasize that Serbia is strongly committed to that dialogue," he pointed out, adding that the key to the success of the talks is compromise.

The serious allegations of human organ trafficking in Kosovo have to be fully and independently investigated under the authority of the international community, which requires the involvement of the United Nations Security Council, he underlined.

As for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jeremić stated that Serbia would continue to be constructive in helping to settle issues there.

"We firmly believe that both entities and all three peoples have to reach a consensus to ensure legitimacy and sustainability. That will require mutual respect, pragmatism and compromise on a number of issues, including the judiciary reform," the minister added.

In order to achieve that goal, the Office of the High Representative and its authority to impose decisions on the entities should be abolished.

It is absurd for a sovereign country with UN membership to be run by a foreign official whose authority can only be compared to the most despotic of the world's governments, Jeremić commented.

There is absolutely no justification to maintain a situation like that in the heart of Europe in the 21st century, he concluded.