"There's nothing left to discuss in Kosovo talks"

SOURCE: TANJUG
PARIS -- Ivica Dačić says he received assurances from his French counterpart that his country would "advocate for Serbia to get an EU talks date as soon as possible."

(Beta/AP)

 

(Beta/AP)
The Serbian prime minister made the statement on Thursday in Paris, after a meeting with his host, Jean-Marc Ayrault.

During the talks with his French counterpart, Dačić said that Serbia "had no sincere friend in the West who would have more understanding for its stands on the most important issues troubling the region."

"That puts Serbia in a situation in which it keeps losing ground year after year, because nowadays those who are deciding on the EU and the most important political processes in Europe do not appreciate Serbia's stands," the prime minister noted.

Dačić said that he had also informed the French prime minister about the situation following the recent negotiations in Brussels, and that Serbia had put a lot in the dialogue with Priština that is also related to the country's EU integration.

Serbia practically did not partake in negotiations, but rather the meetings in Brussels focused on the ways in which Belgrade could ensure that its institutions in the north Kosovo would be disbanded, and the Serbs there be integrated into Kosovo institutions.

"It has been said that a broad autonomy for Serbs within Kosovo would be offered - however, that has not come to fruition, and now we have a deadline until Tuesday to decide whether we would accept the proposal. There is nothing more to discuss in the dialogue as Priština will not change its stands," the prime minister said.

The Serbian prime minister noted that Ayrault had given assurances that France would "absolutely advocate for Serbia to obtain a starting date for EU accession talks as soon as possible, that Paris would fully back Serbia and stand by the bilateral agreement on strategic partnership."

And that means that Serbia has support, Dačić said, noting that in that case, the strategic partnership with France is a realistic solution for Serbia.

The Serbian prime minister noted that he had a very good meeting with the French counterpart, and that they both pointed to the traditional friendship between the two countries - but that this friendship was, "unfortunately, more part of history school books, than of real politics in the last several decades."

The prime minister said that this was a very important meeting, noting that no Serbian prime minister had visited Paris in the last seven years, while the French president was last time in Belgrade in 2001.

"The anniversary of World War I may be an opportunity to renew some old partnerships, and what is the most important - to ensure that Serbia's stands are met with more understanding in the West than it is being the case at the moment," Dačić noted.