Tadic: Independence would destabilize Balkans, Black Sea region
Serbian President Boris Tadic said, after talks with his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer in Vienna on Tuesday, that Serbia would not accept Kosovo's independence, adding that the province's independence would leave negative consequences not only in the Balkans but also in the Black Sea region.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Wednesday, October 17, 2007
"I hope that we will eventually reach a compromise," he said.
According to him, both sides must take part in the negotiations, and added that the Kosovo Albanians' sole contribution to the process so far concerns relations between two independent states.
"The focus of the talks is status, not post-status issues," Tadic stressed.
"Serbia is ready for a compromise, which is why we will participate in this until the end. We will not accept independence due to our Constitution and our country, because Kosovo has been part of Serbia for centuries, but also because independence would destabilize the entire region, not only the Balkans but the Black Sea region as well. There are so many 'Kosovos' and similar problems in the Black Sea region," he explained.
Tadic underscored that Serbia was against Kosovo's independence because it would lead to regional instability and would be an obstacle on the region's road to the EU.
On the same day, visiting Rome, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Kosovo could have nearly all the attributes of an independent state except a seat at the United Nations, if only it would compromise and accept Serb terms.
"Serbia is prepared to keep only a very narrowly defined set of sovereign competences ... for example, the seat on the United Nations," Jeremic said, adding that a unilateral declaration of independence could not secure a UN seat for the province.
