Tadic: We will use all legal means to oppose Kosovo’s independence
Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Serbia would not give up on essential autonomy for Kosovo, stressing that this was the state policy shared by himself and the Serbian government.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, December 03, 2007
"Serbia will not accept Kosovo's independence or any kind of declaration on that, and if independence that is not in line with international principles is recognized, we will use all legal means to oppose it," Tadic said.
He went on to say that the Contact Group's mediating troika had done a fairly good job running the status talks, unlike U.N. special envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
Serbia presented a flexible offer in a bid to reach a compromise, but the Albanian side has been avoiding negotiations over the past four months, Tadic said, and underscored that Serbia was against Kosovo having its own army, because that jeopardized Serbia's essential state and national interests.
The establishing of Kosovo armed forces would also endanger the Balkans' security, Tadic said, adding that Serbia had no intention of sending troops to Kosovo and governing the province "with use of elements of force," but wanted Kosovo to be a demilitarized zone.
However, he also said Serbia wanted to take part in the protection of its borders and share responsibility with international institutions in that protection.
