Ivanovic: West could propose Kosovo partition

"I am afraid of western pragmatism, because that pragmatism offers some solutions that could influence a territorial partition," Ivanovic told Belgrade daily Press.

"The question of territory will no be put on the table by us, or the Albanians," Ivanovic said, adding that the West might realize that it cannot solve the Kosovo problem in any other way and propose a partition.

"But, I repeat, it is not a question of territory in Kosovo. The identity of the Serbs is tied to Kosovo, no matter where they live, in Croatia, Serbia, Canada or America," Ivanovic said.

In recent talks with British Minister David Lidington, the "Cyprus model" was proposed regarding Serbia's entrance into the EU, Ivanovic said.

"This means that Serbia would enter the EU with all of its territory, including Kosovo, but when it enters the EU, European rules will not be applied to Kosovo," Ivanovic said, adding that Cyprus entered the EU as a whole, but the European rules and visa liberalization were not implemented on the northern part of Cyprus.

He said that Kosovo and Serbia have had separate mechanisms for integration since 2003, and that there is a large difference in the number of European standards achieved between the rest of Serbia and Kosovo.

He said that Kosovo's status will not be solved without Serbia, and Serbia "has no intention, now or later, to accept Kosovo independence," Ivanovic said.

When he was told that the EU does not want another Cyprus, Ivanovic said that this proposal was good because there was no other solution, and that the EU cannot leave the Balkans on the sidelines, because it would be a problem for them as well.