Prague says ‘no’ to unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence

The Czech republic is opposing a unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, Czech president Vaclav Klaus said in Prague after meeting his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic.

"If a unilateral solution is opted for, its consequences will be very negative in the long run, both for Serbia and the whole region, and for whole Europe after all," Klaus told journalists.

The Kosovo status can only arise from negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, and cannot be imposed from outside, he added.

"No solution can be 10:0 for one side, perhaps it can be 6:5," Klaus said.

He underscored that the Czech Republic fully understood Serbia's stand on the status of Kosovo.

According to him, the Czech Republic, maybe better than other EU countries, understands that an imposed unilateral solution would have a long-term negative effect not just for Serbia and the region, but also for all of Europe.

"We want Serbia to stabilize, along with the region around it, and become a normal European country as it was and as it definitely deserves to be, Klaus stressed.

Tadic  said "Serbia will not acknowledge Kosovo's independence," warning that Serbia would take all legal, non-violent measures to prevent such a decision.

He dismissed Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku's announcement that Pristina would unilaterally declare Kosovo's independence as irresponsible and pointed out that the statement was a signal that the Kosovo Albanians were not looking for an agreement in the negotiating process.

"We want to avoid any kind of violence. A new war would be disastrous for all -- the Serbs and Albanians, the peoples of the Balkans, Europe, the U.S., and Russia," Tadic said.

Tadic reiterated that EU membership was Serbia's strategic goal, but warned that it could not be given conditions regarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, just as no other country had not been given.

Several European countries have made it clear they oppose any kind of solution for Kosovo made outside of the U.N. Security Council. Among them are Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece, and Cyprus, as well as the members that were initially not against Martti Ahtisaari's plan. The group, headed by Germany, includes the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Malta, and Sweden.

No EU member has so far publicly indicated it would recognize a potential unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence.