"Serbia wants to live like all normal countries"

LONDON Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on Monday that the government's main priority was "to ensure that Serbia starts living as all normal countries." This means that its people "could live, work and act like all European peoples," Dacic, who started a two-day visit to Britain, said. "Serbia wants to live like all normal countries" He met with British Minister of Foreign Affairs William Hague on Monday. Afterwards, he stated at a debate dubbed "The Future of Serbia in Europe" held in the Chatham House that Serbia wants and needs to change, and Europe's help in this process is necessary, adding that the start of the EU accession talks indicates that Serbia has embarked on the EU pathway. "For this reason, the government's main priority, the goal of all goals, is not when Serbia will join Europe, but rather the opposite - when Europe will arrive in Serbia," Dacic said. "Every institution that we build on this way, every European screw that we fix into our system, every step we make towards the West will be a proof that we are no longer the gatekeepers, as we used to be called in the Great Britain during the Great War, but rather a proud and successful people for whom all the doors are open," Dacic said, adding that this is his dream. Dacic underlined that he personally, for the office he holds and the vision Serbia has, showed that changes are necessary and possible "when he became the first Serbian politician which shook hands with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci." Dacic said that Taci was viewed as a criminal in Serbia, "nicknamed the Snake and placed on the arrest warrant, while in Kosovo he was called Sloba's (Slobodan Milosevic's) son and regarded as part of a regime in which Kosovo Albanians recognized aggression and crimes." "The two of us with such a history and what is more with such a surrounding have managed to shake hands, sit and talk. I think that for both peoples that the two of us represent this was one of the most important moments in history," Dacic said. On Tuesday, the prime minister will take part in Serbia Investment Day, and the Serbian delegation also comprises Minister of Finance Lazar Krstic, Minister of Economy Sasa Radulovic and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Antic. (Beta, file) British Foreign Minister William Hague on Monday "offered encouragement" to Serbia on starting accession talks with the European Union in January 2014 based on further progress in implementing the Belgrade-Pristina dialog mediated by the EU, the British Foreign Office announced after his meeting with Dacic in London. Hague and Dacic discussed Serbia's bid to join the EU and relations between Belgrade and Kosovo, Beta reported. The statement said that Hague praised Serbia's headway in implementing the agreement yielded by the Belgrade-Pristina dialog made since his last visit to Belgrade in May. Hague encouraged Belgrade to "further positive engagement" in the months to come, including support to local elections in Kosovo and further implementation of the agreements reached in the Brussels-brokered dialog. "On the basis of this further progress, I hope that Serbia will begin EU accession negotiations in January 2014. Normalization is a long term process and it is important that it continues throughout Serbia's accession negotiations," Hague was quoted as saying. Beta Tanjug

"Serbia wants to live like all normal countries"

He met with British Minister of Foreign Affairs William Hague on Monday.

Afterwards, he stated at a debate dubbed "The Future of Serbia in Europe" held in the Chatham House that Serbia wants and needs to change, and Europe's help in this process is necessary, adding that the start of the EU accession talks indicates that Serbia has embarked on the EU pathway.

"For this reason, the government's main priority, the goal of all goals, is not when Serbia will join Europe, but rather the opposite - when Europe will arrive in Serbia," Dačić said.

"Every institution that we build on this way, every European screw that we fix into our system, every step we make towards the West will be a proof that we are no longer the gatekeepers, as we used to be called in the Great Britain during the Great War, but rather a proud and successful people for whom all the doors are open," Dačić said, adding that this is his dream.

Dačić underlined that he personally, for the office he holds and the vision Serbia has, showed that changes are necessary and possible "when he became the first Serbian politician which shook hands with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci."

Dačić said that Taci was viewed as a criminal in Serbia, "nicknamed the Snake and placed on the arrest warrant, while in Kosovo he was called Sloba's (Slobodan Milošević's) son and regarded as part of a regime in which Kosovo Albanians recognized aggression and crimes."

"The two of us with such a history and what is more with such a surrounding have managed to shake hands, sit and talk. I think that for both peoples that the two of us represent this was one of the most important moments in history," Dačić said.

On Tuesday, the prime minister will take part in Serbia Investment Day, and the Serbian delegation also comprises Minister of Finance Lazar Krstić, Minister of Economy Saša Radulovic and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Antić. British Foreign Minister William Hague on Monday "offered encouragement" to Serbia on starting accession talks with the European Union in January 2014 based on further progress in implementing the Belgrade-Priština dialog mediated by the EU, the British Foreign Office announced after his meeting with Dačić in London.

Hague and Dačić discussed Serbia's bid to join the EU and relations between Belgrade and Kosovo, Beta reported.

The statement said that Hague praised Serbia's headway in implementing the agreement yielded by the Belgrade-Priština dialog made since his last visit to Belgrade in May.

Hague encouraged Belgrade to "further positive engagement" in the months to come, including support to local elections in Kosovo and further implementation of the agreements reached in the Brussels-brokered dialog.

"On the basis of this further progress, I hope that Serbia will begin EU accession negotiations in January 2014. Normalization is a long term process and it is important that it continues throughout Serbia's accession negotiations," Hague was quoted as saying.