Kosovo UN seat only as part of comprehensive solution
Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and German Ambassador in Belgrade Heinz Wilhelm agreed on Friday that the issue of Kosovo's UN membership could be a topic only within the dialogue on a comprehensive solution for the Kosovo issue.
(kosovocompromisestuff) Saturday, January 26, 2013
Dacic underscored that Serbia is not ready to discuss the topic in passing, that it has not even been mentioned so far, and is not on the agenda for the time being.
"That issue has been exaggerated. If we discussed a comprehensive solution, then the topic would be on the agenda (of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue)," the prime minister said.
Kosovo's UN membership would mean the recognition of its independence, which Serbia deems unacceptable, he added.
He recalled that he had mentioned the issue of Kosovo's UN seat in response to the stand of the Pristina authorities that they expected that Kosovo would join the UN, as they know that their statehood process could not be completed without that. At the moment, the UN seat is the only thing that Kosovo cannot secure without Serbia. Unfortunately, it can secure everything else, he added.
The German ambassador agreed that the statement about Kosovo's UN membership had been exaggerated and misinterpreted. He clarified that he did not say that a UN seat for Kosovo is a condition for Serbia's EU membership.
Wilhelm repeated that Pristina has the European Union as its trump card, while Serbia has the United Nations.
He said that the issue of Kosovo's UN seat would be put on the agenda of the dialogue in Brussels sooner or later, as that is important for Kosovo, noting that the Serbian prime minister also said that.
I agree with the prime minister (Dacic) that would be a topic within a comprehensive solution for the Kosovo issue, the German ambassador underlined.
"That issue has been exaggerated. If we discussed a comprehensive solution, then the topic would be on the agenda (of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue)," the prime minister said.
Kosovo's UN membership would mean the recognition of its independence, which Serbia deems unacceptable, he added.
He recalled that he had mentioned the issue of Kosovo's UN seat in response to the stand of the Pristina authorities that they expected that Kosovo would join the UN, as they know that their statehood process could not be completed without that. At the moment, the UN seat is the only thing that Kosovo cannot secure without Serbia. Unfortunately, it can secure everything else, he added.
The German ambassador agreed that the statement about Kosovo's UN membership had been exaggerated and misinterpreted. He clarified that he did not say that a UN seat for Kosovo is a condition for Serbia's EU membership.
Wilhelm repeated that Pristina has the European Union as its trump card, while Serbia has the United Nations.
He said that the issue of Kosovo's UN seat would be put on the agenda of the dialogue in Brussels sooner or later, as that is important for Kosovo, noting that the Serbian prime minister also said that.
I agree with the prime minister (Dacic) that would be a topic within a comprehensive solution for the Kosovo issue, the German ambassador underlined.
