Belgrade “has nothing to lose” in talks with Priština

BELGRADE Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic has said that Belgrade has nothing to lose in the talks with Pristina and that it can only benefit from them. He noted that Pristina would have to make some “painful compromises” because the dialogue would otherwise fail. Belgrade “has nothing to lose” in talks with Pristina “The primary goal is to fulfill conditions in order to get a date for the beginning of the EU talks and the EU membership is on a ‘longer stick’. Nobody is asking us to recognize Kosovo now or to renounce it. So, let’s focus on our first goal,” he told daily Vecernje novosti. Ljajic pointed out that the attitude toward Serbia in the EU had changed significantly, “because they have been accusing us of obstructing the dialogue and having unrealistic requests for years”. “Now Belgrade is showing readiness to have a political dialogue and is offering solutions. We will implement everything that has been agreed and our goal is to solve the remaining issues in order to get the date for the EU talks,” the deputy PM stressed. He added that it was Serbia’s interest to improve the life of Serbs in Kosovo. “What are we supposed to say, that we do not want to join the EU and that we do not want any negotiations? That’s maybe a good policy for cheap political points or for winning votes but it is not responsible for the next generations. We saw this policy in the 90s and it leads to isolation,” he said, pointing out that it would be pointless to negotiate “in a way that would make you give everything and not get anything because those are not negotiations then”. “We have to know what we can get, what our realistic requests are. We now do not have any influence in Kosovo, the Serbian people live terribly and the cultural heritage is not protected,” Ljajic was quoted as saying. He said that the negotiations on the status had not started yet. “We are now talking about the implementation of earlier agreements and the continuation of the technical dialogue. We will open up the talks on status in the continuation of the process,” the deputy PM explained. When asked if Serbia could prevent Kosovo from getting its own country code, Ljajic said that only UN member states had been able to get their own country codes so far. “It would be a precedent if Kosovo got the international code. Our team is offering a compromise, that they get the number 3815, that would include both Serbia’s country code and have something unique for Kosovo. We are also interested in our property and telecommunications infrastructure in Kosovo and the work of our carriers,” he explained. Rasim Ljajic (Beta, file) Tanjug Vecernje novosti

Belgrade “has nothing to lose” in talks with Priština

“The primary goal is to fulfill conditions in order to get a date for the beginning of the EU talks and the EU membership is on a ‘longer stick’. Nobody is asking us to recognize Kosovo now or to renounce it. So, let’s focus on our first goal,” he told daily Večernje novosti.

Ljajić pointed out that the attitude toward Serbia in the EU had changed significantly, “because they have been accusing us of obstructing the dialogue and having unrealistic requests for years”.

“Now Belgrade is showing readiness to have a political dialogue and is offering solutions. We will implement everything that has been agreed and our goal is to solve the remaining issues in order to get the date for the EU talks,” the deputy PM stressed.

He added that it was Serbia’s interest to improve the life of Serbs in Kosovo.

“What are we supposed to say, that we do not want to join the EU and that we do not want any negotiations? That’s maybe a good policy for cheap political points or for winning votes but it is not responsible for the next generations. We saw this policy in the 90s and it leads to isolation,” he said, pointing out that it would be pointless to negotiate “in a way that would make you give everything and not get anything because those are not negotiations then”.

“We have to know what we can get, what our realistic requests are. We now do not have any influence in Kosovo, the Serbian people live terribly and the cultural heritage is not protected,” Ljajić was quoted as saying.

He said that the negotiations on the status had not started yet.

“We are now talking about the implementation of earlier agreements and the continuation of the technical dialogue. We will open up the talks on status in the continuation of the process,” the deputy PM explained.

When asked if Serbia could prevent Kosovo from getting its own country code, Ljajić said that only UN member states had been able to get their own country codes so far.

“It would be a precedent if Kosovo got the international code. Our team is offering a compromise, that they get the number 3815, that would include both Serbia’s country code and have something unique for Kosovo. We are also interested in our property and telecommunications infrastructure in Kosovo and the work of our carriers,” he explained.