Spain favors Belgrade-Priština dialogue

BELGRADE -- Spain and many of its EU partners want for Belgrade and Priština to enter a dialogue, says Spanish Ambassador to Serbia Inigo de Palacio Espana.


A file photo of Ambassador Espana attending a news conference in Belgrade (Beta)


That would lead to a joint solution that could be realized in real life, he told Belgrade daily Blic in an interview.

Espana, whose country took over the EU Presidency on January 1, said that he thought that Serbia could obtain the EU candidate status without the Kosovo-Metohija issue being fully resolved, particularly since Spain had not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of the province.

The Spanish ambassador expressed his support to Belgrade's idea to open a dialogue with Priština after the completion of the process before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on the legality of the unilateral secession declaration of the interim institutions of Kosovo on February 17, 2008.

"Minister [Vuk] Jeremić put forward a very important idea at the Ambassadors' Conference when he said that after the court's opinion had been stated, a compromise, sustainable solution could be found through dialogue, that could lead to a further development of relations," Espana said.

In view of Serbia's EU accession process, he stated that, with its last moves at the end of 2009, the official Belgrade showed that it cooperated with the Hague Tribunal, adding that big steps had been made.

"We believe that Serbia fully cooperates with the Tribunal and that it may not be capable to arrest the remaining fugitives," De said.

"If Serbia continues to cooperate with the Hague Tribunal, there will be no arguments against the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement in June," the amabassador underscored.

Source:b92.net/