Serbia will be more flexible once unilateral Kosovo independence threats stop

Belgrade, Oct 29, 2007 – Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic announced readiness of Belgrade to be even more flexible in negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija once there are no more threats of a unilateral proclamation and recognition of independence of the southern Serbian province.
In an interview with daily Blic, Jeremic said that as long as any document put on the table clearly excludes the possibility of unilateral proclamation and recognition of Kosovo’s independence.

He said that he would like a compromise solution to be found by December 10, but doubted it is a realistic aim.

Hence it is of utmost importance to make substantial progress in negotiations to set foundations for the position of the international community that talks need to continue. However, the threat of unilateral moves puts a big burden on the whole process and thus also burdens the chance to find a compromise, Jeremic said.

Commenting on the fact that the troika could come up with another, final document by the end of the negotiating process, he said that Belgrade shall not, under any circumstances, agree to any offer jeopardising and relativising Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia.

He said he believes that compromise is possible, a model which brings together the legitimate requests of Kosovo Albanians for a high degree of self-government with the equally legitimate Belgrade request for the preservation of sovereignty, which is why both sides should talk until a solution is reached.

According to Jeremic, everything else is not a solution but mere rephrasing of the problem in the Balkans and it is now increasingly clear that more international actors are becoming interested in a precedent, such as the province’s independence.

When asked under which conditions Belgrade would agree that an EU mission comes to Kosovo-Metohija, Jeremic recalled that not even during the talks led by Martti Ahtisaari did Belgrade pose amendments to the proposal defining the European presence in the province.

We did not do that because we believe that the EU should have a leading role in administering Kosovo-Metohija after a compromise solution to the status is reached. However, any change in the way the province is administered must be preceded by an appropriate decision by the UN Security Council. We now have Resolution 1244 according to which the UN mission has clear legitimacy to administer the province and this can be changed by a new resolution, explained Jeremic.

He stressed that Brussels and Belgrade advocate the joint policy that EU accession and negotiations on the status of Kosovo-Metohija are two different processes.

Our decision on Kosovo-Metohija must not in any way be related to our decision to join the EU. This is a choice which our country cannot make. No one should put Serbian citizens in a situation of choosing between those two issues. The European road is equally important to Serbia as is the preservation of its territorial wholeness, said Jeremic.

Salaries in public sector to be adjusted with inflation

Belgrade, Oct 29, 2007 - Serbian Minister of Finance Mirko Cvetkovic said that the Ministry today proposed that the Socio-Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia adjust salaries in the public sector with inflation next year and not to raise them beyond that rate.

Speaking at a press conference held after the meeting with Council members which dealt with macro economic policy of prices and salaries in the public sector, Cvetkovic said that the Ministry proposed that salaries remain within the pay freeze level, which is in accordance with inflation.

He explained that differentiation will be applied within the public sector, with the aim of harmonising and approximating salaries, and added that Council members agreed that this proposal is a solid base for further talks.

At least two meetings should be held next week with representatives of trade unions.

The Minister said that the reduction of public expenditure within GDP next year will be 1%, and the state budget will participate in public expenditure with less than 0.7%.

Cvetkovic said that the interim surplus in the budget for nine months of this year is RSD 37 billion and added that there is a possibility that this year will end without the planned budgetary deficit.

The reason for that is a reduced level of expenditure, first of all in the field of the National Investment Plan.

Kosovo status should be resolved in a way that reflects European values

Belgrade/Rome, Oct 16, 2007 - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said today in Rome that the European future of the Balkans is guaranteed only if Kosovo-Metohija status is resolved through an approach that reflects European values.

After the talks with Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema, Jeremic said that it is not possible to resolve Kosovo status in a non-European way and then hope that such a solution will bring a European future to that area.

Jeremic stated that this issue must be resolved through compromise.

D'Alema said that Italy supports the negotiating process for Kosovo-Metohija conducted by the Contact Group's troika and a compromise solution that will be acceptable for both sides.

In Rome this morning Jeremic also met with President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Umberto Ranieri.