Romania Will Not Recognize Kosovo As An Independent State
Jurnalul National - December 15, 2007

By: de Anca Aldea, Delia Zahareanu

The heads of state and government of the 27 European Union member states debated yesterday on a common EU strategy regarding the independence of the Kosovo region, in the former republic of Yugoslavia.

While other leaders in Brussels took a wait-and-see approach to not avoid provoking both Serbia – who is against the independence of its province – and Russia – who backs the Serbs, the Romanian prime-minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu begged to differ.

He did so along Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Spain, who all stated they would not recognize the independence of the Kosovo province.

“We shall not recognize the independence of Kosovo as we have our reservations regarding it,” said Tariceanu.

The PMs latest statement collides with the one he made back in July, when he said that he agreed with the Ahtisaari Plan, which provided for a supervised independence for Kosovo.

President Traian Basescu showed a rare agreement with Tariceanu, stating that Romania's stance at the EU summit “was constructive, European and defended the country's national interest.”

He also said Romania would take part in the EU mission in Kosovo to avoid signing treaties with a state it does not recognize, in case the region would go ahead and unilaterally proclaim its independence.

A EU mission will be dispatched to Kosovo after Christmas, according to the Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates.

Translated by Anca Păduraru

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