Illusory to discuss UN seat to Kosovo: Serbia

BELGRADE - Reuters

A placard reading in Albanian ‘Dacic, Nikolic are same as Milosevic,’ referring to Serbia’s Prime Minister and President, is seen in Pristina. AP photo

Serbia’s prime minister appeared to row back on Jan. 16 from talk of a deal allowing Kosovo to join the United Nations, saying it was “illusory” to even discuss the issue without a comprehensive settlement on its former province.

Remarks by Ivica Dacic on Jan. 15, in which he held out the prospect of U.N. membership for Kosovo, raised eyebrows in Serbia and angered nationalists.

“If there is no discussion of status, about a final or comprehensive solution, then it would be illusory to talk about membership of the U.N., or other bodies, because Serbia could never agree with that and there’s no dilemma about that on our side,” Dacic told a news conference in Belgrade.

“We would not accept partial solutions as this U.N. membership issue is a fundamental issue, and Serbia would surely not accept that,” he said.

New round of talks

Dacic was scheduled to begin a fresh round of talks with his Kosovan counterpart Hashim Thaci yesterday focused on improving mutual relations.

They are a key condition for Serbia to pursue eventual EU membership. Serbia’s Parliament adopted a resolution last week calling for autonomy for the Serb minority in Kosovo.

In return, Serbia would finally recognize Pristina’s authority over the entire territory, including the Serb-dominated north, currently under Belgrade’s control. More than 90 countries, including the United States and 22 of the EU’s 27 member states, have recognised Kosovo as an independent state.