Pristina's "genocide suit" plans described as "bizarre"

Pristina's "genocide suit" plans described as "bizarre"

"One of the more bizarre ideas is that our southern province could charge the central authorities with the crime of genocide. Those who promote it are not only the unpunished actors in the war events, but have also not been removed from the public life in Kosovo and Metohija."

Djuric added that "precisely because of a guilty conscience or because of fear, they are attempting to divert attention from the formation of a special court that should examine the crimes of the terrorist KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army)."

He told the newspaper that Serbia has "great hopes" the future court would "contribute to healing the society in Kosovo and Metohija from everything that has been happening in the past two decades."

Asked whether he believes President Tomislav Nikolic's platform for Kosovo could contribute to finding a solution for the Kosovo issue, Djuric said that "many have declared themselves about that platform without seeing it," and that he was "glad to see that Kosmet (Kosovo and Metohija) is being discussed on the highest state level."

"The policy toward Kosovo and Metohija must the result of a comprehensive public debate and the widest possible political and social consensus," he said.

Djuric also stated that during the course of Serbia's EU integration so far, "nobody put forward the condition of the country recognizing Kosovo before it joins the EU," and that he "believes" such a condition will not be placed before it - "because it is clear what the answer of Belgrade would be."

"We need no additional arguments in order not to recognize the attempt of our southern province to secede, even if the whole world recognized the so-called Republic of Kosovo. And as we know, Pristina is a long way away from having that kind of support," he concluded.