SETimes
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2005/05/04/feature-02
Different Voices in Serbia Weigh in on Kosovo's Future
04/05/2005
As Belgrade and Pristina gear up for the anticipated start of talks on
Kosovo's final status later this year, Serbian politicians differ over
what stance to take.
By Jelena Tusup for Southeast European Times in Belgrade – 04/05/05
As the momentum builds towards the launch of talks on Kosovo's final
status, Serbian political figures are expressing different views on
the future of the province. Former Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Affairs
Minister Goran Svilanovic, a member of the International Commission
for the Balkans, recently said it would be best for the whole region
if Kosovo achieves independence with the Commission's report forseeing
"strong guarantees of Serb and other minority rights," Svilanovic
said.
Backing independence, however, remains a controversial stance within
Serbia, and Svilanovic quickly came under attack by other political
figures and the media. Serbian President Boris Tadic declared that
while a return to Serbian rule in Kosovo was out of the question,
Belgrade would continue to oppose outright independence.
"That would raise instability in the region," Tadic said, including
neighbouring countries.
Certainly, a vigorous discussion is under way. But according to one
analyst, Belgrade University political science professor Aleksandar
Mitic, Serbian leaders have yet to formulate a clear platform or come
up with arguments to support their position, opting instead to repeat
the slogan "no independence!" A similar situation exists in Pristina,
says Kosovo Albanian political leader Veton Suroi, except that the
stance is reversed. "Our negotiating platform is not particularly
brilliant -- it begins with independence and ends with independence.
But in between not many premises have been formulated," Suroi told
Radio B92 last month.
Despite their seemingly irreconcilable positions on independence,
however, both sides do have areas of agreement. They agree, for
example, that the present status quo cannot be maintained much longer,
and that minority rights is a crucial issue. Furthermore, Serbs and
Kosovo Albanians alike are looking ahead to a future within the EU.
In a recent interview with a Kosovo television station, UNMIK head
Soeren Jessen-Petersen said he believes talks on Kosovo's final status
could begin at the end of September or early October, and will involve
Kosovo Albanian representatives, their Serbian counterparts and an
international presence. Three principles will form the basis for
discussion -- no return to the pre-March 1999 situation, no division
of Kosovo, and no unification with a neighbouring territory.
"What is clear is that Belgrade and Pristina will be the most
important and most active participants. But nobody expects Belgrade
and Pristina to agree on their own. An international presence in the
talks is necessary. This presence is still being discussed, but the
final decision remains the UN Security Council's responsibility. It
will adopt a resolution that will define the final status of Kosovo,"
Jessen-Petersen told Koha Vision TV on 27 April.
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
