Official: Too early to talk about NATO

BELGRADE Serbia is ready to use all the opportunities offered by the Partnership for Peace program, but it is too early to talk about the country's accession to NATO. This was heard on Monday in Belgrade from Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs Chairman Dusan Bajatovic, who added this type of decision would need to be "a mature political one". Official: Too early to talk about NATO In a meeting with a visiting delegation of the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, headed by Thomas Michael Jopling, Bajatovic reiterated the clear position that Serbia would not recognize Kosovo, but was prepared to raise the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to the highest level, the Serbian parliament said in a release. Talking about relations in the region, Bajatovic said that Serbia's position regarding the Serb Republic (RS) did not jeopardize the integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and that it respected the Dayton Agreement, noting that the key to Bosnia's stabilization was economic development. According to Bajatovic, Serbia is trying to increase the level of civil control and respect of human rights in the defense and security sectors, in line with European practice. Bajatovic informed the delegation about Serbia's domestic policy priorities, regarding defense and security in particular, its relations with NATO and its European perspective, the situation in Kosovo and relations in the Balkans region. The meeting was attended by members of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee, as well as the committees on foreign affairs, European integration and Kosovo, and members of parliament's standing delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Earlier in the day the NATO parliamentary delegation met with Serbia's PM Ivica Dacic who stated that Serbia intends to be a factor of peace and stability in the region. "Problems in Kosovo AND Metohija will be resolved in a peaceful way and through the dialogue, and we would like to achieve a just solution, acceptable for both Serbs and Albanians,“ Dacic said. According to a Serbian government statement, the premier underlined that "only such a solution guarantees long-term stability and prosperity of the entire region". The NATO delegation is seen in Belgrade on Monday (Tanjug) Tanjug

Official: Too early to talk about NATO

In a meeting with a visiting delegation of the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, headed by Thomas Michael Jopling, Bajatović reiterated the clear position that Serbia would not recognize Kosovo, but was prepared to raise the Belgrade-Priština dialogue to the highest level, the Serbian parliament said in a release.

Talking about relations in the region, Bajatović said that Serbia's position regarding the Serb Republic (RS) did not jeopardize the integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and that it respected the Dayton Agreement, noting that the key to Bosnia's stabilization was economic development.

According to Bajatović, Serbia is trying to increase the level of civil control and respect of human rights in the defense and security sectors, in line with European practice.

Bajatović informed the delegation about Serbia's domestic policy priorities, regarding defense and security in particular, its relations with NATO and its European perspective, the situation in Kosovo and relations in the Balkans region.

The meeting was attended by members of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee, as well as the committees on foreign affairs, European integration and Kosovo, and members of parliament's standing delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Earlier in the day the NATO parliamentary delegation met with Serbia's PM Ivica Dačić who stated that Serbia intends to be a factor of peace and stability in the region.

"Problems in Kosovo AND Metohija will be resolved in a peaceful way and through the dialogue, and we would like to achieve a just solution, acceptable for both Serbs and Albanians,“ Dačić said.

According to a Serbian government statement, the premier underlined that "only such a solution guarantees long-term stability and prosperity of the entire region".