“Kosovo not condition for EU integration”

Political analyst Jadranka Jelicic told B92 that Serbia would not have to recognize Kosovo Albanians' unilateral declaration in order to join the EU. Jelicic, the executive director of the Fund for Open Society was, along with former Politika daily editor-in-chief Ljiljana Smajlovic taking part in a B92 TV debate on the issue last night. “Kosovo not condition for EU integration” Both agreed that "no one from the EU is openly asking Serbia to recognize Kosovo as a condition". Jelicic said that Serbia is far from EU membership and that the condition for recognizing Kosovo “is absolutely not being mentioned now”. Smajlovic said that it should be the goal of Serbia's diplomacy to make sure that this condition "never arrives from Brussels". The former Politika editor, who has recently been appointed Serbia's new ambassador to Canada, said that she left the newspaper as a result of President Boris Tadic’s personal feud with her. “He did not like my reporting in Politika about some things. Then he did not like an interview. So my answer is that I was sacked by Boris Tadic. I still think so. I hope I will be a good ambassador, even though I think that I was a good editor at Politika as well,” Smajlovic said.

“Kosovo not condition for EU integration”

Both agreed that "no one from the EU is openly asking Serbia to recognize Kosovo as a condition".

Jeličić said that Serbia is far from EU membership and that the condition for recognizing Kosovo “is absolutely not being mentioned now”.

Smajlović said that it should be the goal of Serbia's diplomacy to make sure that this condition "never arrives from Brussels".

The former Politika editor, who has recently been appointed Serbia's new ambassador to Canada, said that she left the newspaper as a result of President Boris Tadić’s personal feud with her.

“He did not like my reporting in Politika about some things. Then he did not like an interview. So my answer is that I was sacked by Boris Tadić. I still think so. I hope I will be a good ambassador, even though I think that I was a good editor at Politika as well,” Smajlović said.