Official reacts to claim Serbia "must recognize Kosovo"

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Marko Djuric qualified on Sunday as "incorrect and detrimental" Ulrike Lunacek's statement that recognizing Kosovo was a condition for Serbia's EU accession.

Marko Djuric (Tanjug, file)

The Austrian politician is the deputy president of the European Parliament (EP).
In a statement for Tanjug, Djuric, who heads the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija, said that such a claim is "irresponsible and incorrect."

This is true because of the fact "the EU does not have a political consensus on the issue because five EU member countries do not recognise the so-called Republic of Kosovo and all relevant EU decisions are adopted and will be adopted through consensus," he said.

"The EU stand is that of neutrality and such statements are detrimental to the normalization of relations, Djuric said and added that Serbia is not conducting talks with Pristina in order to realize anyone's geopolitical agenda but rather in view of strengthening and helping its people in Kosovo and Metohija. Lunacek's bias is not helping either her or Pristina as the side she wants to help so badly," Djuric said.

"Instead of calling on the local population to declare their citizenship as that of the so-called Republic of Kosovo, it would be far more useful for the normalization of relations in Kosovo and Metohija if Mrs. Lunacek showed interest in, for example, the position of Serbs in enclaves and the security and socio-economic conditions for sustainable stay, return and survival of the Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija," Djuric noted.

In an interview for the Belgrade-based daily Kurir on Sunday, Lunacek said, among other things, that the EU "will never accept a new member unless it has clearly defined and internationally recognized borders," and called on Serbs in Kosovo "to state their citizenship as that of Kosovo, with equal rights and obligations."

Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in early 2008 unilaterally declared independence of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo. Serbia said the proclamation was a violation of its Constitution and territorial integrity.