U.S. wants "fresh, positive relations"

U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden has opened his whistlestop tour of the Balkans with a visit to Bosnia. Tomorrow, he is expected in Belgrade, while on Thursday he will travel to Pristina. U.S. wants "fresh, positive relations" Tanjug news agency reports from Sarajevo this evening that while in Bosnia, Biden said that he will convey to Serbian President Boris Tadic that the United State wants to build "fresh and positive relations with Serbia". The U.S. wants to see Serbia take its rightful place in Europe as a strong, successful and democratic state playing a constructive role in the region, he said. The U.S. "does not expect Serbia to recognize Kosovo any time soon", but expects Belgrade to cooperate with the EU and other key international players regarding Kosovo and to seek pragmatic solutions for improving the living conditions of Kosovo Serbs and Albanians, he was quoted as telling the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly. The United States remains committed to a "democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Kosovo, and expects Kosovo in turn to remain committed to protecting all communities, including the Serbs", Biden said. "That commitment is a key to Kosovo's future," he said, adding that "Kosovo's independence, though recent, is irrevocable and crucial for the region's progress and stability". Biden said he would take to Belgrade a Pristina a message that the U.S. President Barrack Obama's administration will continue to strengthen the long-term U.S. loyalty to Europe, including the Balkans. "The doors are open to the countries in the region, which is becoming for the first time in history an inseparable part of a united and free Europe, and the United States will help them," he was heard saying. As regards the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Biden said the Washington "wants to see it enter the EU as a prosperous and whole country". He expressed his country's concern over "dangerous nationalist rhetoric which could be heard in the past three years in Bosnia", urging Bosnian leaders to "give up this kind of talk". "If Bosnia fails to join the EU and meet all the set conditions, it will remain the poorest state in Europe and be in ethnic chaos," Biden was quoted. "The Dayton peace accord must be respected and the U.S. will support the closing of the high international representative's office in Bosnia only when five goals and two conditions are realized," he added. As he arrived in Bosnia last night, Biden was met at Sarajevo airport by Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj. EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Javier Solana joined Biden in Sarajevo today. Esad Hecimovic, a journalist with Sarajevo weekly Dani, says that preparations for Biden’s visit began long ago. “There are the usual control measures, traffic diversions, and they’re being applied in Sarajevo this time. The public and civil society is aware of them, of which roads will be shut and when, and those are typical measures, and there’s nothing special about them,“ he told B92. “What is unique about this visit are the arrests that were made prior to his arrival, as there’s a list of around 40-50 people from predominantly Arab-Asian countries, though those arrests didn’t take place until the start of May this year, and, in public, those arrests have been linked with this visit,“ Hecimovic told B92. Joe Biden (FoNet, archive)

U.S. wants "fresh, positive relations"

Tanjug news agency reports from Sarajevo this evening that while in Bosnia, Biden said that he will convey to Serbian President Boris Tadić that the United State wants to build "fresh and positive relations with Serbia".

The U.S. wants to see Serbia take its rightful place in Europe as a strong, successful and democratic state playing a constructive role in the region, he said.

The U.S. "does not expect Serbia to recognize Kosovo any time soon", but expects Belgrade to cooperate with the EU and other key international players regarding Kosovo and to seek pragmatic solutions for improving the living conditions of Kosovo Serbs and Albanians, he was quoted as telling the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly.

The United States remains committed to a "democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Kosovo, and expects Kosovo in turn to remain committed to protecting all communities, including the Serbs", Biden said.

"That commitment is a key to Kosovo's future," he said, adding that "Kosovo's independence, though recent, is irrevocable and crucial for the region's progress and stability".

Biden said he would take to Belgrade a Priština a message that the U.S. President Barrack Obama's administration will continue to strengthen the long-term U.S. loyalty to Europe, including the Balkans.

"The doors are open to the countries in the region, which is becoming for the first time in history an inseparable part of a united and free Europe, and the United States will help them," he was heard saying.

As regards the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Biden said the Washington "wants to see it enter the EU as a prosperous and whole country".

He expressed his country's concern over "dangerous nationalist rhetoric which could be heard in the past three years in Bosnia", urging Bosnian leaders to "give up this kind of talk".

"If Bosnia fails to join the EU and meet all the set conditions, it will remain the poorest state in Europe and be in ethnic chaos," Biden was quoted.

"The Dayton peace accord must be respected and the U.S. will support the closing of the high international representative's office in Bosnia only when five goals and two conditions are realized," he added.

As he arrived in Bosnia last night, Biden was met at Sarajevo airport by Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj.

EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Javier Solana joined Biden in Sarajevo today.

Esad Hećimović, a journalist with Sarajevo weekly Dani, says that preparations for Biden’s visit began long ago.

“There are the usual control measures, traffic diversions, and they’re being applied in Sarajevo this time. The public and civil society is aware of them, of which roads will be shut and when, and those are typical measures, and there’s nothing special about them,“ he told B92.

“What is unique about this visit are the arrests that were made prior to his arrival, as there’s a list of around 40-50 people from predominantly Arab-Asian countries, though those arrests didn’t take place until the start of May this year, and, in public, those arrests have been linked with this visit,“ Hećimović told B92.