Kosovo question
August 23, 2011
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday publicly urged Serbian President Boris Tadic to engage more productively with Kosovo and resolve the ongoing conflict with the breakaway former Serb region.
"We would like the direct talks between Serbia and Kosovo to be conducted in a way that will also yield results," Merkel said on a diplomatic visit to Belgrade.
Merkel also said the European Union's EULEX justice mission should be given free rein to operate in Kosovo, and that parallel Serb structures that are still in place there should be dismantled. She added that progress in these issues would help the country's EU accession process move forward.
"My visit should serve as an acknowledgement that Germany would like Serbia to become a European Union member," she said. "We believe Serbia belongs in Europe."
Complex problem
Unlike Germany, Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 decision to unilaterally declare independence from Belgrade, a stance that Tadic reiterated in the joint press conference.
"We do not accept Kosovo's independence," the Serb president said. "[Serbia] does not support any political solutions that would fuel further conflict in the Balkans." A long-running border dispute in northern Kosovo, where most of the area's Serb population lives, has escalated in recent months with sporadic violence and the use of roadblocks on the border with Serbia.
EU negotiators are trying to bring all sides back to the table for fresh talks in Brussels, slated to begin September 2.
Despite this ongoing impasse, Tadic said his country's bid to join the European Union should be accelerated, saying the EU's current official recognition of Serbia as a candidate for membership "is not sufficient." He called on Merkel to understand "the complexity of the problem."
Merkel acknowledged that Kosovo was a difficult issue but said a solution was necessary, adding that the most important thing was for Serbia to maintain contact with the government in Pristina.
Author: Mark Hallam (AFP, dapd, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler