UN seat for Kosovo to be discussed, ambassador says

BELGRADE German Ambassador to Serbia Heinz Wilhelm has stated that Kosovo’s UN membership is one of the issues that should be discussed in Brussels. He said that Berlin wanted Belgrade and Pristina to raise their relations to the level of ambassadors. UN seat for Kosovo to be discussed, ambassador says When asked if Serbia would be requested to accept to have ambassadors in Belgrade and Pristina and to discuss a UN seat for Kosovo in order to get a date for the beginning of the EU accession negotiations, Wilhelm said that it was difficult to say at the moment and that it depended on agreements in among 27 EU member states. “The issue (of UN membership) is very important to us but I cannot say at the moment if it is going to be crucial for the granting of the date. We will first wait for a decision of the European Commission (EC) and (EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) Catherine Ashton on the progress in dialogue. Member states will study the report and make a final decision. I think that specific criteria will not be crucial, but an impression given by the entire picture,” the German ambassador noted. When asked if new conditions for Serbia would appear in March, he said that it was important for Serbia to stop preventing Kosovo from becoming a member in European and international institutions, aside from withdrawing so-called parallel institutions from Kosovo. Wilhelm reiterated that Germany recognized Kosovo as an independent country and added that Berlin would therefore like to see Serbian and Kosovo ambassadors in Belgrade and Pristina. “But Serbia does not recognize Kosovo. An agreement on exchange of liaison officers that will work in EU missions in Belgrade and Pristina is also acceptable for us. This is one more positive thing, but I repeat, there are many important things that should be dealt with,” he said. When asked if the Resolution and Platform on Kosovo would be another roadblock on the EU pathway, the ambassador said that the most important thing was that it was written in the documents that Serbia would do its best to make progress in the dialogue. When asked if it was acceptable to Germany that the platform requested a wide autonomy for the Serb community, Wilhelm noted that the Ahtisaari plan offered a pretty wide autonomy to Serb municipalities and that a solution should be sought within the framework. “The proposal from the platform exceeds the Ahtisaari plan. We cannot accept a solution that leads to creation of special entities, regions within Kosovo, and it is what is requested in the platform,” the German diplomat stressed. He could not confirm that progress made in the solving of the Kosovo issue was enough for heads of EU state and government to give Serbia a date for the start of the EU accession talks in March. Wilhelm said Germany wanted Serbia to become an EU member as soon as possible but that it did not accept any country that would bring its problems in the Union. Commenting on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statement that the EU should take a long break in the enlargement process after Croatia’s accession, he said that there was a consensus in Europe and Germany that the EU project would be completed once all countries of the Western Balkans have joined the Union. Wilhelm added that parliamentary elections in Germany would indirectly affect Serbia’s further EU integration process but that he was optimistic because many things had been done, including the launching of a political dialogue, agreement on the integrated crossings management, exchange of liaison officers and customs duty collection. Heinz Wilhelm (Beta, file) Beta Vecernje novosti

UN seat for Kosovo to be discussed, ambassador says

When asked if Serbia would be requested to accept to have ambassadors in Belgrade and Priština and to discuss a UN seat for Kosovo in order to get a date for the beginning of the EU accession negotiations, Wilhelm said that it was difficult to say at the moment and that it depended on agreements in among 27 EU member states.

“The issue (of UN membership) is very important to us but I cannot say at the moment if it is going to be crucial for the granting of the date. We will first wait for a decision of the European Commission (EC) and (EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) Catherine Ashton on the progress in dialogue. Member states will study the report and make a final decision. I think that specific criteria will not be crucial, but an impression given by the entire picture,” the German ambassador noted.

When asked if new conditions for Serbia would appear in March, he said that it was important for Serbia to stop preventing Kosovo from becoming a member in European and international institutions, aside from withdrawing so-called parallel institutions from Kosovo.

Wilhelm reiterated that Germany recognized Kosovo as an independent country and added that Berlin would therefore like to see Serbian and Kosovo ambassadors in Belgrade and Priština.

“But Serbia does not recognize Kosovo. An agreement on exchange of liaison officers that will work in EU missions in Belgrade and Priština is also acceptable for us. This is one more positive thing, but I repeat, there are many important things that should be dealt with,” he said.

When asked if the Resolution and Platform on Kosovo would be another roadblock on the EU pathway, the ambassador said that the most important thing was that it was written in the documents that Serbia would do its best to make progress in the dialogue.

When asked if it was acceptable to Germany that the platform requested a wide autonomy for the Serb community, Wilhelm noted that the Ahtisaari plan offered a pretty wide autonomy to Serb municipalities and that a solution should be sought within the framework.

“The proposal from the platform exceeds the Ahtisaari plan. We cannot accept a solution that leads to creation of special entities, regions within Kosovo, and it is what is requested in the platform,” the German diplomat stressed.

He could not confirm that progress made in the solving of the Kosovo issue was enough for heads of EU state and government to give Serbia a date for the start of the EU accession talks in March.

Wilhelm said Germany wanted Serbia to become an EU member as soon as possible but that it did not accept any country that would bring its problems in the Union.

Commenting on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statement that the EU should take a long break in the enlargement process after Croatia’s accession, he said that there was a consensus in Europe and Germany that the EU project would be completed once all countries of the Western Balkans have joined the Union.

Wilhelm added that parliamentary elections in Germany would indirectly affect Serbia’s further EU integration process but that he was optimistic because many things had been done, including the launching of a political dialogue, agreement on the integrated crossings management, exchange of liaison officers and customs duty collection.