"Recognition of Kosovo not subject of talks"

Source: Beta, Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić has said that Belgrade and Priština are not conducting negotiations on a recognition of Kosovo and Metohija.

(Tanjug, file)

He pointed out that "such a possibility has not even been hinted at, in any way."
"We have made it clear that the dialogue is status-neutral, and we have not made it known with any act nor have we taken any formal action that would lead to a recognition of independence," Dačić said.

Noting that Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj both in Berlin and during a recent meeting of the UN Security Council in New York spoke about "signing of a peace agreement, recognition of Kosovo's independence and its membership in various international organizations," Dačić said that these statements were "an attempt to abuse the good will of Belgrade."

He expressed hope that Serbia will open chapters 32 and 35 in its negotiations on EU membership by the end of the year, while chapters 23 and 24 are planned for the spring.

Germany, according to him, wanted those opened first, "but there is hope that this position could be changed."

Dačić pointed out that Serbia "should not pay the price because of the instability in Priština," where a government has not been formed yet, which delayed the continuation of the dialogue, and recalled that the previous Serbian government took part in the talks even during its caretaker mandate.

Informal discussions are in progress in Brussels on chapter 35 today, and although the chapter marked as "miscellaneous" it generally refers to normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština.

Previously, a regular meeting of delegations produced an agreement on administrative crossings between Kosovo and central Serbia.

Dačić also said on Friday said that a meeting of Balkan ministers of economy and foreign affairs with EU representatives should be held in October in Belgrade.

He said that representatives of Priština authorities would take part in accordance with the manner agreed previously - referring to the asymmetrical representation of Kosovo not as a state, "but with an asterisk and a footnote" next to its name.

Speaking about the report of American prosecutor Clint Williamson on the trafficking in human organs of kidnapped Serbs in Kosovo, Dačić said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia welcomed it.

"An objective report of the prosecutor gives us reason to believe that an investigation into the murders and organ trafficking will not be stopped. We hope that the report will contribute to serious crimes being transferred from political to the legal arena, and that there will be no delays in establishing of a tribunal, which will deal with the statements from the report and raise indictments based on those," said Dačić.

Candidacy

Ivica Dačić said on Friday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received former president of the UN General Assembly and former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić to discuss his candidacy for secretary-general of the organization.

Dačić said that Jeremić had expressed his willingness to accept the nomination, but that the government had still not discussed the issue.

This means that Serbia is still not officially participating in the bid for the position of UN secretary-general, Dačić said at a regular monthly press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He pointed out that many other countries had still not put forward their candidates, as the election for the successor to Ban Ki-moon was due to take place in a year and a half from now.