Kostunica: No pressure or reward will make us give up on Kosovo

Regarding British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's statement that Serbia must accept the independence of Kosovo if it wants to become a member of the EU, Kostunica said that he had replied to this comment when in parliament he took an oath of loyalty to the Republic of Serbia and to uphold the Constitution.

"I am sure that every Serbian prime minister would reply in the same way to an offer that Serbia give up any part of its territory in exchange for some concession," Kostunica said.

He emphasized that Serbia will under no kind of pressure or in exchange for a reward give up the right to protect its sovereignty and internationally recognized borders.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated that Belgrade's intention to join the European Union should depend on accepting Kosovo's right to gain independence. "I think that Serbia's long-term interest truly depends on accepting the fact that relations with the EU are jeopardized if we cannot get a solution to the Kosovo problem," Brown said.

Meanwhile,Serbian Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Slobodan Samardzic said Thursday that he expected the Balkan countries to oppose "all violent attempts at stripping Serbia of a part of its territory."

Samardzic said that a country which "violates international law" and recognized Kosovo's independence "cannot expect to have good relations with Serbia."

The minister went on to say that the countries of the region "are being subjected to terrible pressure and blackmail to act according to orders from the U.S.," adding that for the sake of good neighborly relations "it would be good not to disrupt mutual relations by
acknowledging a violation of international law."

"Those who do so cannot expect to have good relations with Serbia, not just Montenegro but all countries," Samardzic said.

Download PDF document