Serbia could be force of stability in region
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon said in Washington on Tuesday that Serbia has an opportunity to become the strongest force of stability in the region. The mutual interest is to see Serbia making progress and fulfilling its European aspirations, said the senior official of the Obama administration, and underscored that his country will continue to work with Belgrade on opening new prospects for economic cooperation.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Speaking at the Atlantic Council's panel discussion, Gordon underscored that the U.S. is strongly backing the EU integration process in the Balkans, and voiced satisfaction about the fact that the Serbian government confirmed its commitment to that.
Gordon reiterated the stand that the U.S. supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo, and that Serbia is not required to recognize Kosovo's independence now.
He stressed that Serbia and Kosovo have to normalize relations, and that the partition of Kosovo is not an option.
In order to move forward, Belgrade has to stop supporting parallel security and judicial structures in northern Kosovo, and has to work with the international community on ensuring the freedom of movement, said the official with the U.S. Department of State.
Gordon underscored that this does not mean abandoning the Serbs in those areas, but quite the contrary - Belgrade could support them in a transparent way.
The status quo is in no one's interest, said the assistant secretary, noting that the U.S. agrees with their European allies on the stand that a country could not become an EU member state without normalizing the relations with its neighbours.
Regarding the tasks ahead of Kosovo, Gordon mentioned the continuation of development of multi-ethnic democratic institutions, together with the measures aimed at decentralization that would ensure that local communities in the north and south have greater autonomy in decision-making process.
We expect Kosovo to respect the rights of all communities, and preserve and maintain the cultural heritage in those areas, the U.S. official said.
Asked to what extent the U.S. can have an impartial approach taking into account that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently stated in Pristina that for her, Kosovo's independence is a personal issue, Gordon said that the U.S. deems that it has a balanced approach.
Gordon reiterated the stand that the U.S. supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo, and that Serbia is not required to recognize Kosovo's independence now.
He stressed that Serbia and Kosovo have to normalize relations, and that the partition of Kosovo is not an option.
In order to move forward, Belgrade has to stop supporting parallel security and judicial structures in northern Kosovo, and has to work with the international community on ensuring the freedom of movement, said the official with the U.S. Department of State.
Gordon underscored that this does not mean abandoning the Serbs in those areas, but quite the contrary - Belgrade could support them in a transparent way.
The status quo is in no one's interest, said the assistant secretary, noting that the U.S. agrees with their European allies on the stand that a country could not become an EU member state without normalizing the relations with its neighbours.
Regarding the tasks ahead of Kosovo, Gordon mentioned the continuation of development of multi-ethnic democratic institutions, together with the measures aimed at decentralization that would ensure that local communities in the north and south have greater autonomy in decision-making process.
We expect Kosovo to respect the rights of all communities, and preserve and maintain the cultural heritage in those areas, the U.S. official said.
Asked to what extent the U.S. can have an impartial approach taking into account that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently stated in Pristina that for her, Kosovo's independence is a personal issue, Gordon said that the U.S. deems that it has a balanced approach.
