Jeremić warns of “dangerous precedent”

Countries that recognize Kosovo’s unilateral independence set a “dangerous precedent,” said Vuk Jeremic today in Hanoi. The foreign minister, talking to Vietnamese students, said that that precedent would lead to even more instability in the world. Jeremic warns of “dangerous precedent” He stressed the parallels between Kosovo and Iraq and questioned why Iraq should not be partitioned, if the independence of the southern Serbian province with an Albanian majority had been recognized, reports AFP. “Of course, the Middle East is not south-east Europe, and Iraq is not Serbia. But the parallels are striking and deserve attention,” said Jeremic. “We are told that Serbia has committed extremely cruel acts towards the Albanians in Kosovo and that reconciliation is impossible. They say that the time for negotiations has passed,” added the minister. He cited other arguments Belgrade had been given in favor of Kosovo independence. “They said that it was for our own good, that opposing it meant we hadn’t broken free of the legacy of Slobodan Milosevic,” said Jeremic. The minister added that on several occasion, he had asked for an explanation as to why Kosovo was such a “specific case,” and that he had cited the examples of Rwanda or Sudan and had asked why those countries had not been partitioned, reports Associated Press. “As usual I didn’t get an answer, or sometimes they would say that a partition of Iraq by force wouldn’t contribute to stability in the region,” Jeremic said. “If the Kosovo question is not resolved, the world will become much more unstable and a much less predictable place,” the minister warned, adding that recognition of Kosovo independence “sets a dangerous precedent for the international system,” states AP. Jeremic is concluding his two day visit to Vietnam, whose government considers Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration illegal and a violation of international law. Vuk Jeremic (FoNet, archive)

Jeremić warns of “dangerous precedent”

He stressed the parallels between Kosovo and Iraq and questioned why Iraq should not be partitioned, if the independence of the southern Serbian province with an Albanian majority had been recognized, reports AFP.

“Of course, the Middle East is not south-east Europe, and Iraq is not Serbia. But the parallels are striking and deserve attention,” said Jeremić.

“We are told that Serbia has committed extremely cruel acts towards the Albanians in Kosovo and that reconciliation is impossible. They say that the time for negotiations has passed,” added the minister.

He cited other arguments Belgrade had been given in favor of Kosovo independence.

“They said that it was for our own good, that opposing it meant we hadn’t broken free of the legacy of Slobodan Milošević,” said Jeremić.

The minister added that on several occasion, he had asked for an explanation as to why Kosovo was such a “specific case,” and that he had cited the examples of Rwanda or Sudan and had asked why those countries had not been partitioned, reports Associated Press.

“As usual I didn’t get an answer, or sometimes they would say that a partition of Iraq by force wouldn’t contribute to stability in the region,” Jeremić said.

“If the Kosovo question is not resolved, the world will become much more unstable and a much less predictable place,” the minister warned, adding that recognition of Kosovo independence “sets a dangerous precedent for the international system,” states AP.

Jeremić is concluding his two day visit to Vietnam, whose government considers Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration illegal and a violation of international law.