http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205358,lavrov-says-kosovos-independe nce-should-be-revised.html
EARTH TIMES.ORG (NEW ZEALAND) Lavrov says Kosovo's independence should be 'revised' Posted on : 2008-05-14 | Author : DPA Yekaterinenburg, Russia - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday called for Kosovo's independence to be "revised," saying Serbia had proved itself a "democratic" state in recent parliamentary elections. Lavrov was speaking about the Serbian election results at a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the Urals city of Yekaterinenburg. "The election results have confirmed the democratic nature of the Serbian state. However, we shall not forget that the territory of Kosovo was taken away from this democratic state. This is wrong. This should be revised," Lavrov was quoted by news agency Itar-Tass as saying. In an apparent attack on the EU and US support of Kosovo's declaration of independence, Lavrov warned "other countries" should refrain from "the habit of trying to influence the internal processes in different countries" Russia, a long-time ally of Serbia's, has vociferously opposed Kosovo's independence. But the win of Serbian President Boris Tadic's pro-European bloc in Sunday's elections was seen as a defeat for Russia's continuing influence in Belgrade. Tadic wants to keep Serbia on course to European Union membership, which has been challenged by the ultra-nationalist camp, which seeks to steer the country away from the West in protest at its support of Kosovo's independence. Responding to a journalist's question Wednesday, Lavrov denied that the elections could be viewed in the light of a pro-European versus pro-Russian contest. "This logic is alien to us, and I don't think that we and the EU should look for a field where we shall contend about who has won and who has lost," said Lavrov.
