Foreign Minister of Serbia and Montenegro Vuk Draskovic gave his support to independence of Montenegro
The situation of the Western Balkans was, once again, at the centre of international attention on Sunday when 55.5 percent of Montenegrin citizens voted for independence under the leadership of Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic, who had been the head of the drive to independence.
Tuomioja hopes for progress
during the Finnish EU Presidency
Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja expressed his satisfaction for the fact that the referendum held in Montenegro on Sunday had been conducted according to proper rules. He also considered the constructive attitude of Belgrade after the confirmation of the final voting results as positive. Tuomioja described the relations between Serbia and Montenegro as good, and assured that the relations will remain good even in the future when the state union splits into two separate states.
According to Tuomioja, the meaning of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans is great. Thus he hoped that the stalemate situation between the EU and Serbia could be solved quickly, in order to restart the Stabilisation and Association Process between the Belgrade government and the EU. However, the prerequisite for that is that the Serbian leader Ratko Mladic is arrested and handed over to the Hague Tribunal. This and especially the situation of Kosovo will rise as important issues even during the Finnish EU Presidency.
about the Association Agreement
When commenting the referendum results of last Sunday, Foreign Minister of Serbia and Montenegro Vuk Draskovic, visiting Finland for the first time, said that he respects the will of the majority of the Montenegrin citizens. "Even though we are members of the same family and we share the same history, we will start the process leading to the dissolution of the union between the states in accordance with the referendum result."
In recent months the reason causing friction in the relations between Brussels and Belgrade has been the question of handing over Ratko Mladic, accused of war crimes, to the Hague Tribunal. Draskovic points out that, as a state, Serbia is in a very difficult position. "But I really believe that during the Finnish EU Presidency both Serbia, and Montenegro will sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union."
The rights of the Serbs have to be respected
in the Kosovo negotiations
As far as the situation of Kosovo is concerned, the EU stand on the matter is very important for Serbia, and its institutions are the key arenas for discussions. Still, Draskovic reminds that it is important to take into account Serbia's own starting points and proposals in order to achieve a compromise on the future of Kosovo.
Draskovic emphasises three conditions that need to be taken into account when solving the status of Kosovo: consideration of the justified demands of the Albanian majority living in the area; protection of the rights of the Serbs by international guarantees; and the respect of the UN Charter and the OSCE Final Act from 1975.
Therefore, Draskovic is not satisfied with the discussions concerning Kosovo conducted to date, since they are still a far way away from a compromise. "We want political stability of Serbia, and we are not happy with the double standards of Brussels: when it comes to finding Mladic, the conditions dictated from Brussels are too strict, but when it comes to respect of the rights of the Serbs and other minorities and enforcement of standards in Kosovo, all we hear is that they will be implemented after the independence has been achieved. How is this possible?" RealVideo recording of the press conference