PM: Kosovo in UN would mean recognition

Source: Tanjug

VRŠAC -- The issue of Kosovo's UN membership "could be a topic within the dialogue on a comprehensive solution for the Kosovo issue".

Ivica Dačić is seen in Vršac on Friday (Tanjug)

Serbia's PM Ivica Dačić and German Ambassador Heinz Wilhelm "agreed" on this point, reports from Vršac said on Friday.
Dačić underscored that Serbia "is not ready to discuss the topic in passing, that it has not even been mentioned so far, and is not on the agenda for the time being".

“That issue has been exaggerated. If we discussed a comprehensive solution, then the topic would be on the agenda (of the Belgrade-Priština dialogue),” the prime minister said.

Kosovo's UN membership "would mean the recognition of its independence, which Serbia deems unacceptable", he added.

He recalled that he had mentioned the issue of Kosovo in response to the stand of the Priština authorities that they expected that Kosovo would join the UN, as they know that their statehood process could not be completed without that.

"At the moment, the UN seat is the only thing that Kosovo cannot secure without Serbia. Unfortunately, everything else it can," he added.

The German ambassador "agreed that the statement about Kosovo's UN membership had been exaggerated and misinterpreted", said Tanjug.

He "clarified that he did not say that a UN seat for Kosovo is a condition for Serbia's EU membership."

Wilhelm repeated that "Priština has the European Union as its trump card" - while for Serbia, this "trump card" is the UN, according to the diplomat.

He said that the issue of Kosovo's UN seat "would be put on the agenda of the dialogue in Brussels sooner or later, as that is important for Kosovo", recalling that the Serbian prime minister "also said that".

"I agree with the prime minister that would be a topic within a comprehensive solution for the Kosovo issue," the German ambassador underlined.

Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo five years ago unilaterally declared independence. Serbia rejects the proclamation and considers the territory its province under the Constitution.

"Romania has no conditions"

Ivica Dačić expressed the belief on Friday that in the continuation of European integration, Romania will not condition Serbia by issues connected to the position of the Romanian minority, and added that the Romanian prime minister extended such assurances.

Addressing reporters at the opening of the a new production line in the Fresenius company in Vršac, Dačić said that relations with Romania must not be aggravated because of the question as to what is implied by the term 'Romanian national minority' or because of the issue of the Vlach identity in Serbia.

Responding to questions of local reporters, Dačić said that this problem has been overly exaggerated in the public and that Serbia is willing to discuss this issue.

There is a saying in Romania that they have only the sea and Serbia as their friend, Dačić said and added that Serbia does not have a sea and that it only has friends.