Serbia To Talk About Kosovo, Not With Kosovo

Belgrade | 03 February 2009 |

Boris Tadic

Serbia is ready to talk about practical issues regarding life in Kosovo as long as discussions do not touch on Kosovo's declaration of independence, Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Tuesday, indicating Belgrade would only accept the United Nations mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, not the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina, as interlocutors.

"If UNMIK is the institution that goes towards Serbia's state authorities, we are ready to negotiate," Tadic told a meeting of his Democratic Party.

"We are always ready to speak with the legitimate representatives of the Kosovo Albanians about all key, daily life issues concerning not only Albanians, but also Serbs and other non-Albanians who live in Kosovo. But these issues must not question Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said.

The statement echoes Belgrade's official position that UNMIK is the main legitimate authority in Kosovo according to UN Resolution 1244 that ended the 1998-99 war between Serb forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas. The territory declared independence last February, but Belgrade said it will never recognise the secession and still considers Kosovo as its southern province.

Serbia has never given any sign that it accepts Kosovo's President or Prime Minister as 'legitimate representatives' of the ethnic Albanian majority and is fighting to keep UNMIK as the designated counterpart in any dealings with Kosovo, such as the role of signatory in regional treaties or when discussing the rights of the Serb minority in Kosovo. Kosovo's government in Pristina on the other hand is trying to take its place as UNMIK's formal successor in the international arena.

“We are now in a particular phase of Serbian-Albanian conflicts," Tadic added, as quoted by Serbia's Beta news agency.
"Serbia doesn’t wish for any harm to come to Albanians, we want sustainable, good interethnic relations, but they have to be set in a way that would not put in jeopardy Serbia’s legitimate state interests and our country’s integrity.”

International officials have long said that Belgrade and Pristina must discuss so-called 'technical issues', but there has been no timetable, no agenda, and confusion reigns as to whether officials from the respective capitals will attend and whether they will go as equals.

The three international organizations supposed to decide on the format and the agenda of the negotiations are UNMIK, the European Union's justice and policing mission EULEX, and the Office of the Special Representative of the European Union, in Pristina.

Kosovo leaders have indicated they do not want the negotiations to be led by UNMIK, arguing that its mission expired on December 9, and prefer that negotiations be led by the US and the EU.
Read more : Confusion Reigns Over Serbia-Kosovo 'Talks'

(Reporting by Ljilja Cvekic)

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Comments:

Reason
2009-02-03 17:45:31

About Kosovo, not with Kosovo!!!!! This is why Kosovars wanted independence from Serbia. How democratic can a government of a modern european place be, if they want to talk about 2 million people but not with those 2 million people? Huh, I am going to decide about you, but not talking with you. This is Serbia's rotten mentality, which will take decades to change. Poor them!

2009-02-03 18:53:05

Serbia ,will never change . Thats what I like about them :)

but of course..........
2009-02-03 19:44:19

Well this is not news at all. Few years ago when the negotiations for the status started, some EU diplomats came up with the idea of Kosova & Serbia federation. Haa, tadic and his best friend and colleague kustunica (and their teacher speaking from the grave) absolutely rejected that idea. Are you insane! Those evil Albanians in our government in our parliament making decisions for us aaaaahhhhhhhh (thatâ€™s when you wake up all sweaty and terrified, your heart beat going 100 miles per hr.) The western countries understood this long time ago, that serbia wants only the territory and not the people who live on it. Thatâ€™s why they tried the ethnically cleansed Kosova. Well tough luck hehehehehe. This is why Kosova is Independent. And thatâ€™s a reality. Peggy??????

archilir@yahoo.com

from serbia...
2009-02-03 20:28:09

Kosovo is the protectorate, not an "independent country". The sooner Kosovo Albanians realize this fact, the sooner will move on with life of all nationalities. Unfortunately, the same Albanians who have preferred their own institutions for years now have audacity to tell Kosovo Serbs to engage in their "mono-ethnic" institutions. That time is over, and Serbia will and ONLY will communicate with UN who currently governs Kosovo. Your "Great Albanian" dreams will not prevent Serbia from a long, diplomatic battle for the sovereignty.

to archilir
2009-02-03 21:04:44

I agree with Serbia. Surprised?

Be objective and truthfull
2009-02-03 23:08:17

" ...indicating Belgrade would only accept the United Nations mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, not the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina, as interlocutors." The government in Prishtina also includes Serb, Turkish and Bosnian minorities. Are you reporting on behalf of TANJUG. Shame on you.

Kosovo's heart is to the west.
2009-02-04 01:33:25

Kosovo is not interested in holding day to day talks with Serb leaders, until Serbia accept's responsibility for the savage attack on Kosovo albanian's. If any talks take place, Serbia must Recognize Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. Must answer and return the bodies of at least 5000 Kosovars still missing, captured by Serbia's army during the war. My opinion is that Kosovo leaders have nothing to gain from talks with Serbia. Kosovo was under Serbia for a century and our freedom, lifestyle, education did not improve at all, and employment was non existent for Kosovars. We have improved more in one year than we did in a century under Serbian occupation. Kosovo's future is the west, and we must build a strong western democracy in Kosovo. We have turned our back to Serbia, have no intentions of ever looking back. We are looking forward and westward, and there is our heart, there we have our motherland Albania, EU and USA.

Kosovo's heart lies West
2009-02-04 01:39:59

Kosovo's heart lies West

rotten mentality
2009-02-04 01:40:05

Yes, and that rotten mentality will get them nowhere. Actually they deserve pity. They are like the guy who is driving down the motorwasy and on the radio he hears a warning thatthere is a car going in the wrong direction. And he says "What, one? There are hundreds". And when I hear their ridiculous stories and self- pity and sanctimonious anger I don't know if I should laugh or get angry. Actually, because their rotten ideas const so many innocent lives I should do the latter, butr then it would be very stupid to take them seriously, because they actually believe their ownb delusions and bite back at everyone who refuses to take them as gospel truth. Many of them suffer a sort of collective paranoia. ANd if they refguse to be cured from it there is nothing one can do to help them. Only that if they become dangerous and attack thgeir neighbors again there wil be nothing for it but to render them harmless, by all and any means, and if this means that their chauvinism and militarism must be eradicated as it was from Japan and Germany in 1945 thenb so be it. And don't let them count on their Russian friends too much. They have let them literally in the cold - by turning off the gas tap. Now that Peggy or whoever she/he might be and others like her will surely respond the usual way. Well,let them yap. I don't care. I refuse to take them in earnest. They are only a tiny, tiny minority in the world anf they shout so loud to cover their irrelevance, and by shouting they only manage to accentuate it. Of course, sometimes their deluded staements can make one mad, especially when they insult the victims of genocide or worthy historic persons, but- so what? All their yap won't change the fact that , like Germany had to stomachthe loss of East Prussia, they too will have to stomach the loss of Kosova, and eventually of their last outpost in Bosnia. And for the same reasons. They chose that for themselves when they came up with their plan to expel all non-Serbs. The blood they spilled came over their heads, and they will suffer the consequences for a long time yet to come.

2009-02-04 02:55:30

Peggy why do you hate Kosovars so much? Seriously, did a Kosovar kill your grandpa, burn your house, your store downtown, and the mosque that has been there for 410 years? I bet the answer is no. The above has happened to me but I continue to live on. Also, now in diaspora (because of chetniks), I am close friends with a handful of Serbs and Bosnian. Can't hate an enemy that can't touch me anymore, us Kosovars waited 600 years for independence, we got it. We'll work in strengthening our institutions and our weak economy; you and your Serb nationalists can write propaganda and hate speech all you want.

Collapse
2009-02-04 09:42:33

The Yugoslav motto:"The war has begun in Kosovo and will finish in kosovo." unfortanettely, so many deads ans so many "broken" destinies....Peace

not surprised at all
2009-02-04 21:20:34

Oh no Peggy doesnâ€™t hate Albanians. Itâ€™s her mentality that is screwing with her brain. And itâ€™s not only her. Itâ€™s embedded in their big heads. Itâ€™s what their parents, teachers and leaders taught them for centuries.

archilir@yahoo.com

morons.
2009-02-05 15:27:54

well maybe its time for palestine to declare its own land from israel. if kosovo can do it, why cant they? Lets get quebec to break away from canada without a vote, better yet, why dont we let the muslim part of spain declare independence... maybe we can let Albanians have Macedonia too.

to L*O*G*I*C and Archilir
2009-02-05 21:07:00

You can stop with accusations which you cannot possible prove. Why do you hate the Serbs so much is a better question? I can see that you are constantly going on the personal attack of me. Please attack what I say if you don't agree but you don't know me to accuse me of anything. Now you answer my question. Why do you hate the Serbs so much? Is it because they wouldn't lie down and die when you tell them to or because they won't leave Kosovo so you can have your playground? As far as you citing chetnicks you are barking up the wrong tree. Try Ustashe and Nazis which your grandfathers belonged to. Chetnicks have been given an honour to march together with Australian servicemen and women and other allies every year on Anzac day. Seems that not everyone has a distaste for Chetnicks like you do. Chetniks have also been honoured by the Americans. General Mihailovic was awarded a medal by the US president after the war. What did your grandfathers get? So please, don't think you can silence me by some mocking or trying to make me ashamed of my grandfathers. You should be ashamed of your past.

Peggy hates???
2009-02-06 01:26:57

All I said is that I agree with Serbia. How come you are all writing books about me already? Where in my short statement do you get all this from? I think you are the haters here. Just re-read all you have written and see all the hatred spewing out of you.

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Serbia To Talk About Kosovo, Not With Kosovo