Serbia's Tadic says Kosovo partition is an option

01/10/2008

BELGRADE, Serbia -- President Boris Tadic said on Tuesday (September 30th) that he is open to the possibility of Kosovo's partition, although Belgrade has not recognised its former province's independence claims so far. "I am prepared to consider that option … if we exhaust all the previous ones, but there are quite a few of them," Tadic told Serbian State Television (RTS). He stressed, however, that any separation of Kosovo is not part of Serbia's agenda at the moment, reiterating that Belgrade prefers offering substantial autonomy instead.

In response, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said efforts to violate the new country's territorial integrity are pointless. Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi also ruled them out. "I don't believe that the Balkans and Europe are interested in opening new problems that would be created by the change of the borders," Krasniqi told the DPA.

Separately Tuesday, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said he hoped countries from the region will not recognise Kosovo's independence. "We do not expect them to make any moves that would compromise peace and stability in the region before the vote in the UN General Assembly," Jeremic said. That is a reference to a vote -- a week from now -- on Serbia's initiative seeking the opinion of the International Court of Justice regarding the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. (AFP, RTS, Makfax, DPA, Beta, Tanjug, AP, B92 - 30/09/08)