Reactions to Tadić comments

UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko says this mission is against a partition of Kosovo. He added that President Boris Tadic’s recent statement will not effect the dialogue between UNMIK and the Serbian government. Reactions to Tadic comments “Our stance has always been clear and that is not only our position, but that of the Contact Group. There should not be a partition of Kosovo,” Ivanko told a press conference in Pristina today. Meantime in Belgrade, U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter said that America “is against the partition of Kosovo", and that Washington "supports the development of Serbia and Kosovo as two developed countries inside the European Union”. Munter said at a press conference in Uzice, western Serbia, that he did not see the transcript of Tadic’s statement in which he mentioned partition, but that he was informed by the members of the Serbian government who convinced him that the president's words were not carried to the public correctly. The diplomat added that “the U.S. gives full support to the idea of talks and agreement between Belgrade and Pristina” because “it is always good for Serbia and Kosovo to talk about the idea of a united future”. Former foreign minister Goran Svilanovic, however, said that Serbia “is returning to vital policies after several years of slogans and chest-pounding”. He told Novi Sad daily Dnevnik it is "obvious that the time is coming where things will be looked at from a realistic framework”. “I was convinced that Serbia would make such a move, but I admit that I thought it would happen in a couple months,” Svilanovic said. Pristina daily Koha Ditore writes today that the international community and Kosovo government must take the statements of Tadic "very seriously". The newspaper stated that such comments could be seen as "a provocation of the situation" in Kosovo. The daily adds that the “great losers would be the Kosovo Serbs", and goes on to explain that by this it means that "Albanians in that case would have no reason to implement the Ahtisaari plan and decentralization”.

Reactions to Tadić comments

“Our stance has always been clear and that is not only our position, but that of the Contact Group. There should not be a partition of Kosovo,” Ivanko told a press conference in Priština today.

Meantime in Belgrade, U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter said that America “is against the partition of Kosovo", and that Washington "supports the development of Serbia and Kosovo as two developed countries inside the European Union”.

Munter said at a press conference in Užice, western Serbia, that he did not see the transcript of Tadić’s statement in which he mentioned partition, but that he was informed by the members of the Serbian government who convinced him that the president's words were not carried to the public correctly.

The diplomat added that “the U.S. gives full support to the idea of talks and agreement between Belgrade and Priština” because “it is always good for Serbia and Kosovo to talk about the idea of a united future”.

Former foreign minister Goran Svilanović, however, said that Serbia “is returning to vital policies after several years of slogans and chest-pounding”.

He told Novi Sad daily Dnevnik it is "obvious that the time is coming where things will be looked at from a realistic framework”.

“I was convinced that Serbia would make such a move, but I admit that I thought it would happen in a couple months,” Svilanović said.

Priština daily Koha Ditore writes today that the international community and Kosovo government must take the statements of Tadić "very seriously".

The newspaper stated that such comments could be seen as "a provocation of the situation" in Kosovo.

The daily adds that the “great losers would be the Kosovo Serbs", and goes on to explain that by this it means that "Albanians in that case would have no reason to implement the Ahtisaari plan and decentralization”.