Serbian minister opposes EU mission in Kosovo
PRISTINA (Agencies) -- Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac on Monday visited Serb-dominated town of Gracanica, near the Kosovo capital Pristina, claiming EU missions in Kosovo would be illegal, Chinaview reported. ""I don't know how EU may bring EULEX (Law and Justice Mission) in Kosovo, since it doesn't have a legal basis to come here,"" said Sutanovac. Sutanovac, senior official of Serbian President Tadic's Democratic Party, visited Kosovo to bring medical aid to ethnic Serbs in Gracanica. He met local people, but was faced with fierce critics over the Serbian government's policies in Kosovo. Sutanovac used the occasion to call on ethnic Serbs to vote for ""moderates"" in the Serbian May 11 general and local elections. ""Serbia's ability to defend Serb community in Kosovo will be smaller, if you don't vote for the candidates that supports EU integration,"" said Sutanovac. Kosovo's Serbs usually vote for Serbia's nationalist parties. Serbia will hold the elections in Kosovo despite the objections from Kosovo's Albanian-dominated government, the first since Kosovo's self-claimed independence in February. The EULEX is expected to start its operation on June 15, to supervise Law and Justice in Kosovo, with some limited powers. The EU signed up to closer ties with Serbia last week, nudging it towards eventual membership despite disputes over Kosovo's independence and Belgrade's failure to catch war criminals, AFP reported. Despite the rejoicing, the EU ministers agreed the pact would not come into effect until Serbia cooperated fully with the war crimes court in The Hague. ""It is a very important moment in our history,"" said Serbian President Boris Tadic, who flew in to oversee the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), the first step towards EU membership. ""The signing of this agreement and other similar accords with other Balkan nations allows us to turn a happier chapter on our history,"" he said, an allusion to the long years of conflict as Yugoslavia broke up. Copyright © 1998-2007 The Tehran Times Daily Newspaper, Tehran-Iran All Rights Reserved.Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
