"Not possible to choose between EU and Kosovo"

BELGRADE Some solutions for Kosovo can seriously jeopardize continued EU integration, but Serbia should strive to achieve both objectives, says Tomislav Nikolic. Speaking for B92 late on Monday, the Serbian president said it was "not possible to choose between Europe and Kosovo". "Not possible to choose between EU and Kosovo" "If we were to accept to abandon the EU nobody would guarantee that we would not negotiate with the Albanians and that Kosovo and Metohija would remain part of Serbia, but the two issues are linked," Nikolic stated. "If the Albanians table only their own constitution and laws, and have the support from the European Commission or the Council of the EU for such a position, then nobody is expecting us there," Nikolic said. He added that "when Pristina presented a proposal nobody asked what it meant". "When we say that the Serb community should manage the court system within the community and the police within the community, then Dacic faces the question: what does that mean. By Thursday we'll be ready for any question, any area in which we want the Serb community to decide, to make it concrete." Asked what the "red lines" were, the Serbian president explained: "Never recognize the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, and not allow some armed forces to appear in the territory of the Serb community for a long period of time. That is the plan established by the National Assembly of Serbia." When asked if this was the Ahtisaari plan, he said that "the international community bases their views not on a plan, but on the position of big countries." "Some in Europe understand our relations (with Kosovo) as relations of two good neighbors, which Serbia cannot accept. We did not relent in anything, but apparently someone figured that we had our back against the wall. Serbia has no right - especially the person going to negotiate cannot violate the Resolution of the National Assembly," Nikolic said, adding that "if it goes below what the Resolution contains, it must go before parliament". "At the moment those who make decisions in Serbia, especially members of the government, president and first deputy president of the government, are exposed to high pressure," he stated, adding that the real pressure was being created by "the mentors of Kosovo's independence." "We know in advance that some diplomacies are working with countries that do not recognize Kosovo and advising them to do that," Nikolic said. "I even wrote to some states to stop that for as long as the negotiations were going on, with Pakistan I did not succeed." The fate of any government depends on whether Serbia can start the negotiations with the EU, "and by that I do not mean the fate of the government as a personnel decision, but the fate of Serbia," he continued. Nikolic stressed that the Serbs in northern Kosovo were "for the first time included in the negotiations through the Resolution". Asked if he personally was "somewhat removed from the whole story about the negotiations", Nikolic said: "I think I'm the key figure in all of this, much of this is based on my victory in the presidential elections, and I did not run away from responsibility at any moment. Previous presidents have made excuses in different ways - one spoke in the Constitution, the other over clerks, I was the first to step out. " "The state leaders are not solo players, this is an orchestra, these are people who are aware of the responsibility that lies before them, everyone except me is younger, their lives are before them and they do not wish to create disgrace for themselves. We think alike on very issue," Nikolic said. If an agreement is not reached in the new round of the Kosovo dialogue on April 2, and if Serbia is not given a date for the start of EU membership talks it will not be the end of the world, he stated, but added that this outcome "would not be good". The Serbian president said that if the agreement is not reached in April, a new deadline for a deal "will certainly be a year". He said it was possible that the citizens would be choosing a new president - "if after April 2, what the Serbian leadership may allow does not happen". He dismissed the possibility that Kosovo could become "more independent" during his tenure. Nikolic wondered whether there was any Serb who would, as head of state, allow Kosovo to become a UN member. The president stressed he was "not ready to accept the independence of Kosovo and Metohija for a single moment", and that Serbia has enough friends in the world who can stop a formal independence of the province. "There is no substantial independence of Kosovo without a UN Security Council decision," he noted, and added that "there, it is impossible to open the door to Kosovo for membership in the world organization." (B92) B92

"Not possible to choose between EU and Kosovo"

"If we were to accept to abandon the EU nobody would guarantee that we would not negotiate with the Albanians and that Kosovo and Metohija would remain part of Serbia, but the two issues are linked," Nikolić stated.

"If the Albanians table only their own constitution and laws, and have the support from the European Commission or the Council of the EU for such a position, then nobody is expecting us there," Nikolić said.

He added that "when Priština presented a proposal nobody asked what it meant".

"When we say that the Serb community should manage the court system within the community and the police within the community, then Dačić faces the question: what does that mean. By Thursday we'll be ready for any question, any area in which we want the Serb community to decide, to make it concrete."

Asked what the "red lines" were, the Serbian president explained: "Never recognize the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, and not allow some armed forces to appear in the territory of the Serb community for a long period of time. That is the plan established by the National Assembly of Serbia."

When asked if this was the Ahtisaari plan, he said that "the international community bases their views not on a plan, but on the position of big countries."

"Some in Europe understand our relations (with Kosovo) as relations of two good neighbors, which Serbia cannot accept. We did not relent in anything, but apparently someone figured that we had our back against the wall. Serbia has no right - especially the person going to negotiate cannot violate the Resolution of the National Assembly," Nikolić said, adding that "if it goes below what the Resolution contains, it must go before parliament".

"At the moment those who make decisions in Serbia, especially members of the government, president and first deputy president of the government, are exposed to high pressure," he stated, adding that the real pressure was being created by "the mentors of Kosovo's independence."

"We know in advance that some diplomacies are working with countries that do not recognize Kosovo and advising them to do that," Nikolić said. "I even wrote to some states to stop that for as long as the negotiations were going on, with Pakistan I did not succeed."

The fate of any government depends on whether Serbia can start the negotiations with the EU, "and by that I do not mean the fate of the government as a personnel decision, but the fate of Serbia," he continued.

Nikolić stressed that the Serbs in northern Kosovo were "for the first time included in the negotiations through the Resolution".

Asked if he personally was "somewhat removed from the whole story about the negotiations", Nikolić said:

"I think I'm the key figure in all of this, much of this is based on my victory in the presidential elections, and I did not run away from responsibility at any moment. Previous presidents have made excuses in different ways - one spoke in the Constitution, the other over clerks, I was the first to step out. "

"The state leaders are not solo players, this is an orchestra, these are people who are aware of the responsibility that lies before them, everyone except me is younger, their lives are before them and they do not wish to create disgrace for themselves. We think alike on very issue," Nikolić said.

If an agreement is not reached in the new round of the Kosovo dialogue on April 2, and if Serbia is not given a date for the start of EU membership talks it will not be the end of the world, he stated, but added that this outcome "would not be good".

The Serbian president said that if the agreement is not reached in April, a new deadline for a deal "will certainly be a year". He said it was possible that the citizens would be choosing a new president - "if after April 2, what the Serbian leadership may allow does not happen".

He dismissed the possibility that Kosovo could become "more independent" during his tenure. Nikolić wondered whether there was any Serb who would, as head of state, allow Kosovo to become a UN member.

The president stressed he was "not ready to accept the independence of Kosovo and Metohija for a single moment", and that Serbia has enough friends in the world who can stop a formal independence of the province.

"There is no substantial independence of Kosovo without a UN Security Council decision," he noted, and added that "there, it is impossible to open the door to Kosovo for membership in the world organization."