OFFICIAL SAYS BELGRADE "STRONGLY COMMITTED" TO CONTINUATION OF KOSOVO TALKS
BBC Monitoring International Reports - March 25, 2007, Sunday

Text of report by Serbian news agency Beta

["Raskovic-Ivic: Belgrade Strongly Committed to Continuation of the Talks" - Beta headline]

Moscow, 23 Mar (Beta) - Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, head of the Kosovo Coordinating Centre, said here today that Belgrade would not cooperate with an independent Kosovo and would reexamine relations with countries that recognized its independence.

Belgrade will "fight with all its strength for continuation of the talks and a settlement reached through compromise, which is essential autonomy as proposed by Belgrade," said Ivic, speaking at a round table on Kosovo hosted by the Duma International Affairs Committee.

She said that Serbia had been "very constructive" in the talks so far and urged the Contact Group to be a "framework for continuation of the talks, because that is very important for Belgrade, seeing that Russia is very active in the Contact Group."

Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachev said "there are attempts to impose the project (by special UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari) on the Security Council." Russia was ready to support whatever Belgrade and Pristina settled on, he said, adding that Moscow had "no interests of its own."

A "realistic scenario" of developments according to Alexey Pushkov from the Civic Society Presidential Council, was a "semi-recognized Kosovo," recognized by some countries, rather than its stay in Serbia.

He said he was "not optimistic" as NATO had already decided to provide legitimacy for independence. However, the authorities in Serbia and Russia could prevent this if Belgrade says "no" and Moscow lodges a veto.

"Even if Belgrade agreed, Moscow should lodge a veto or the West will think it unserious for making threats and then failing to use that instrument. A veto would not give legitimacy to independence and Russia would have demonstrated its opposition to that precedent," said Pushkov.

Boris Shmelyov from the Diplomatic Academy said "Serbia has de facto lost Kosovo." He called on Belgrade to conduct a realistic policy.

"When there is a conflict between two principles, a people's right to self-determination and the right to preserve territorial integrity, then force prevails. It so happens that force is not on Serbia's side," said Shmelyov.

He asked whether Serbia needed Kosovo in its composition, with a growing population most of which will be hostile towards it.

"Why is Serbia wasting energy and money on Kosovo? Serbia has numerous socio-economic problems. There is little that can be done to change the Security Council as a large number of countries will recognize Kosovo's independence, enabling it to operate as an independent state," said Shmelyov.

He said Russia would "of course support Serbia," but that "Serbia should realistically consider alone, the terms by which it would fight Kosovo's independence.

"Serbia's 'no' can do little to change things, it just narrows the options for political manoeuvring. Belgrade must make decisions that are unpopular but could prove useful in the future," said Shmeljev.

Zoran Loncar, Serbian minister for administration and local self-rule, said that Serbia was open for talks.

"The right and sustainable settlement is a compromise between Belgrade and Pristina, but it cannot denote compensation," said Loncar.

Ivic and Loncar are heading a Serbian Government delegation visiting Russia at the invitation of the State Duma. They met with Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov and then with Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov.

Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1501 gmt 23 Mar 07

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