Tadic: Blackmailing Serbia about Kosovo is mission impossible
Reacting to comments heard from some quarters that Serbia "ought to recognize the factual situation on the ground" when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian President Boris Tadic noted that there are "several different realities on the ground".
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, March 19, 2010
"One is that (ethnic) Albanians in Kosovo do not wish to live under Serbia's sovereign roof, and the other reality is that Serbs in Kosovo do not wish to live under the sovereign roof of the so-called independent Kosovo".
For this reason, the president continued, a compromise and sustainable solution can only be reached by taking into account the interests of both sides.
"We are ready to, after the ICJ decision (on the legality of the UDI), reach compromise through dialogue," Tadic told Tanjug news agency.
He stressed that the tragic experience of the pogrom six years ago, launched by ethnic Albanians against Serbs in Kosovo, "is a warn to us that the danger of turning to violence in the Western Balkans region is still here".
"The situation is still very volatile. Lately, the freedom of movement of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija has improved somewhat, but the situation is not nearly sufficiently stable, while the living conditions for our compatriots are without a doubt worse that those found in any nation in the entire European continent. The Serb people in Kosovo are absolutely the most endangered people in modern day Europe," Tadic stated.
"Serbia does not accept and it does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, and it shall not recognize it, so there is no need for anyone to try to persuade us to do that, or blackmail us, because that is mission impossible," the president stated.
