Brussels, 30/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle, on Friday 27 July, welcomed the formation of the new government in Serbia and congratulated Prime Minister Ivica Dacic on the parliament's vote by 142 to 72 to approve the new coalition. “Serbia faces many challenges and needs an effective government able to take important reforms forward”, stated a spokesperson for Ashton and Füle.
The high representative and the commissioner expect the new government to continue to deliver on the European integration agenda, regional cooperation and reconciliation, including through the early resumption of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and swift implementation of the agreements reached, the spokesperson said, indicating that Ashton had spoken to Dacic by telephone on 27 July.
President Nikolic persists with shock statements
While Dacic made clear on 26 July that he wanted to take forward the dialogue with Kosovo, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said on 29 July that he would adopt a tougher stance than his predecessor Boris Tadic. “What compromise has been made by Pristina up to now? None. All the talks have been on things Serbia will accept. Serbia hasn't set any conditions”, he said in an interview with British daily The Guardian. “It's not a compromise if Serbia is always backtracking step by step. It's not a compromise if Pristina says its independence is recognised and that it will realise its independence on our territory”, he added.
Nikolic said that any attempt to impose Pristina's rules on North Kosovo could lead to an exodus by the Serbian minority. “What if the Serbs move out? Who will accept the results of such genocide? That is one of the definitions of genocide: when you expel 40,000 people, regardless of whether they are women, men, [civilians or] soldiers, and when you change the ethnic composition of the territory. That is genocide”, he stated. He suggested that “there is a danger that Pristina would be prepared to go that far. I am convinced they wouldn't mind doing that immediately”. The only thing holding them back, he said, is the presence of international troops. He acknowledged that he would never exercise power in Pristina and called on Kosovar President Atifete Jahjaga to concede that she would never govern in northern Mitrovica.
Improved relations with Pristina to maintain progress towards EU
Stating that the Commission did not comment on the statements of individual politicians or on their interpretation in the media, Commissioner Füle's spokesman Peter Stano noted that “Serbia is an EU candidate country waiting for the recommendation by the European Commission to start accession negotiation”. Quoting the words of his commissioner said at the inauguration of President Nikolic in Belgrade last June, Stano said “there is clarity, transparency and consistency in what is expected from Serbia so that the European Commission can recommend negotiations to start”. He also pointed out that the European Council had stated that the “key priority” for Serbia's progress towards the EU is “visible and sustainable improvement in relations with Kosovo”. Stano added that, in its progress report to be published in October, the Commission will assess the progress made by Serbia in its dialogue with Kosovo and normalising relations between the two, and how well implementation of the reforms is going. (CG/transl.rt)