Homepage
Sitemap
Larger
Smaller
Login
Registration
Help
Terms of use
Slovenian ambitions on the Kosovo issue
08.01.2008, 14:05
While avoiding giving a concrete timetable, the Slovene premier Janez Janša has expressed the hope that the future status of Kosovo would be solved by the end of June - when his country's presidency of the 27-member bloc comes to an end, according to French daily Liberation. Slovenian Prime- minister has also indicated that an outcome other than independence for the province is unlikely, but not right away though.
Legally still a part of Serbia, Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations since 1999 and wants full independence from Belgrade.It is "obvious" that a solution that satisfies both parties cannot be found and "it's not possible" to force Serbs and Kosovars to live together after the way ethnic Albanians were treated during the regime of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, Mr Jansa was reported as saying by AFP..
Further developments on the thorny issue are unlikely before the Serbian presidential elections, which take place on 20 January and 3 February. Also, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, stated his confident that the warnings from Belgrade slamming the EU's position on Kosovo and criticising the future ESDP mission will not, at the end of the day, be followed by initiatives that bring Serbia's process of European integration to a halt. ). Mr Jansa told journalists on Monday 7 January in Ljubljana that "before each election in Serbia over the past ten years, strong nationalist views have been voiced. But most of these declarations and promises have been forgotten shortly after the ballot". The EU must therefore remain firm and united, he said, and not allow itself to be impressed by Serbian comments of this kind.
The EU is still struggling to come up with a common position on Kosovo, with Mr Jansa stating that "it won't be easy" to reach a unified stance among the 27 EU members.
Source: EUobserver.com