"No recognition and no Priština authority in north"

Belgrade has a red line it will not cross in its talks with Priština, head of the Serbian team for the talks Borislav Stefanović has told the NIN weekly.

Izvor: NIN

Friday, 25.03.2011.

11:00

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Belgrade has a red line it will not cross in its talks with Pristina, head of the Serbian team for the talks Borislav Stefanovic has told the NIN weekly. The line is not to recognize the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of independence or agree to let northern, predominantly Serb-inhabited area of Kosovo come under the authority of the territory's central government. "No recognition and no Pristina authority in north" "It is unacceptable to alter the present positions in Kosovo in any way," Stefanovic said ahead of the second round of the talks in Brussels next Monday. "We need to get a legal framework that would reaffirm the situation in Kosovo and be focused on protecting the Serbs, their presence and their institutions," Stefanovic noted. If Serbia is not going to recognize Kosovo and Pristina is not going to relinquish its claim on independence, then they must work to find a way to live together while ensuring the safety of the Kosovo Serbs, Stefanovic argued. He stated he would be pleased if the negotiations solved the issues related to the Serb population in Kosovo, like their cultural and religious heritage, protection of their monuments and institutions and the question of northern Kosovo. According to Stefanovic, it would be wrong to insist on political issues during the talks because that would create an impasse. However, the fact that both Serbia and Kosovo have ambitions of joining the EU guarantees that everything will ultimately be discussed, especially because of the fact that Kosovo cannot join any international organizations without Serbia's approval, he explained. "The strong statements about banning Serbian registration plates that bear names of locations in Kosovo are not helping the talks, but they are only meant to serve a political purpose within Kosovo," Stefanovic remarked. If the Serbian team is successful, Kosovo Serbs will see some very important problems disappear, like issues with property, privatization, personal documents, communications, hospitals, schools and so on, he added. When asked about possible pressure on the Serbian team from the EU, since Serbia wants to become a member of the union, Stefanovic said that "the talks and EU integration were separate processes", but that success in the negotiations would still be beneficial to Serbia's EU ambitions. Borko Stefanovic (Tanjug, file)

"No recognition and no Priština authority in north"

"It is unacceptable to alter the present positions in Kosovo in any way," Stefanović said ahead of the second round of the talks in Brussels next Monday.

"We need to get a legal framework that would reaffirm the situation in Kosovo and be focused on protecting the Serbs, their presence and their institutions," Stefanović noted.

If Serbia is not going to recognize Kosovo and Priština is not going to relinquish its claim on independence, then they must work to find a way to live together while ensuring the safety of the Kosovo Serbs, Stefanović argued.

He stated he would be pleased if the negotiations solved the issues related to the Serb population in Kosovo, like their cultural and religious heritage, protection of their monuments and institutions and the question of northern Kosovo.

According to Stefanović, it would be wrong to insist on political issues during the talks because that would create an impasse. However, the fact that both Serbia and Kosovo have ambitions of joining the EU guarantees that everything will ultimately be discussed, especially because of the fact that Kosovo cannot join any international organizations without Serbia's approval, he explained.

"The strong statements about banning Serbian registration plates that bear names of locations in Kosovo are not helping the talks, but they are only meant to serve a political purpose within Kosovo," Stefanović remarked.

If the Serbian team is successful, Kosovo Serbs will see some very important problems disappear, like issues with property, privatization, personal documents, communications, hospitals, schools and so on, he added.

When asked about possible pressure on the Serbian team from the EU, since Serbia wants to become a member of the union, Stefanović said that "the talks and EU integration were separate processes", but that success in the negotiations would still be beneficial to Serbia's EU ambitions.

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