SERBIA:SERBIAN foreign minister Vuk Jeremic has warned that the recognition of an independent Kosovo by many EU states has driven Serbians away from the EU and, potentially, into the hands of ultra- nationalists in May elections.
Mr Jeremic met his EU counterparts in Slovenia on Saturday, the first round-table meeting since Kosovo declared independence in February, a move Belgrade views as illegal.
EU ministers urged their Serbian colleague to keep the country on the road to EU accession, something Mr Jeremic said was possible. "The European idea in Serbia is on the defensive and, like it or not, this is primarily because of the support for unilateral declaration of independence by a number of you," he said.
Kosovo's declaration of independence has divided the EU, with nine states, including Spain, Portugal and Greece, refusing to recognise the declaration. But Mr Jeremic said recognition by larger countries such as Britain, France and Germany was a boost to ultra-nationalist "fear-mongers" who, he warned, could "sweep us all away in a direction that promises only to make things worse".
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said the example of Northern Ireland showed what could be achieved under the "umbrella of the EU". "The age-old problem of ourselves and the British was more or less put to bed because of our equal presence around the EU table," he said. "If there is any better example how the Serbia-Kosovo issue could be dealt with, it is in this context."
Slovenian diplomats performed some fancy footwork on Saturday morning, whisking Mr Jeremic away from a breakfast meeting before the arrival of Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci.
Mr Thaci expressed optimism all EU members would recognise Kosovo's independence "very soon" and a thaw in relations with Belgrade would begin after the May election. "Kosovo wants good relations with all our neighbours," said Mr Thaci. "And we hope very soon we will have a good relationship with Serbia, too."
After two days of informal talks, the foreign ministers took the unusual step of issuing a statement on Tibet - reportedly on French insistence. It expressed "strong concern over events in the autonomous Chinese region of Tibet" and called for "substantive and constructive dialogue" between Beijing and exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. The text avoided a specific reference to the Olympic Games with British foreign secretary David Miliband remarking that "human rights are as much an issue in 2009 as in 2008".
Ministers condemned a film attacking the Koran, but defended the right of its maker, a Dutch parliamentarian, to express his views.