Pack: Both sides in talks will be pressured
German member of the European Parliament Doris Pack said she hopes Belgrade and Pristina will realize the seriousness of the situation and reach an agreement at the coming meeting, noting that recent months have brought more progress in the dialogue than before.
(kosovocompromisestuff) Monday, April 01, 2013
In an interview for the Novi Sad daily Dnevnik, Pack said both sides in the talks will be pressured to achieve better neighborly relations and improve the living situation of their people.
Commenting on the proposal for the formation of a community of Serb municipalities, she said the plan of former special envoy Martti Ahtisaari is a good foundation for solving problems in northern Kosovo as well.
The Kosovo government could have done more if they had started implementing the plan in the south, for example the right to language, education, and more involvement of Serbs in administration, she said.
Pack said the decision cannot be imposed from the outside, but must be made by the politicians in Belgrade and Pristina, keeping in mind the interests of the people and with full awareness that both Serbia and Kosovo will be EU members some day.
She said reconciliation can never come from coercion, and added that once Belgrade interprets the signs of the time correctly and starts acting accordingly, it will get a date for EU accession talks. If they do not do this, it will not be us who are responsible for the delay, but only the government in Belgrade, said Pack.
Commenting on the proposal for the formation of a community of Serb municipalities, she said the plan of former special envoy Martti Ahtisaari is a good foundation for solving problems in northern Kosovo as well.
The Kosovo government could have done more if they had started implementing the plan in the south, for example the right to language, education, and more involvement of Serbs in administration, she said.
Pack said the decision cannot be imposed from the outside, but must be made by the politicians in Belgrade and Pristina, keeping in mind the interests of the people and with full awareness that both Serbia and Kosovo will be EU members some day.
She said reconciliation can never come from coercion, and added that once Belgrade interprets the signs of the time correctly and starts acting accordingly, it will get a date for EU accession talks. If they do not do this, it will not be us who are responsible for the delay, but only the government in Belgrade, said Pack.
