| Serb seeks “even-handed” US policy on Kosovo |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 17 April 2008 21:52 | ||||
 Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister, Božidar Djelić, said America’s policy on Kosovo may be destabilising the Balkan region. He made the comment while speaking at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C. on April 14.Djelić told an audience that since Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February, the governments of Macedonia and Serbia have fallen. He said that America’s hope that an independent Kosovo would help bring a lasting peace to the politically volatile Balkan region may be a false one. The US and most of the major powers in Europe have recognised Kosovo as a sovereign state since its unilateral declaration of independence. In total, some three dozen countries have now recognised Kosovo. Djelić told his audience that Serbia would never accept an independent Kosovo and the sensitive issue is a major one in the campaign for the country’s May 10 parliamentary election. Considered a pro-western reformer, Djelić and his Democratic Party face the prospect of being defeated by a coalition that could include the nationalist Radical Party. The primary goal of Serbia’s Democratic party is to join the European Union (EU). Djelić said that it is possible that a winning coalition that included the Radicals would turn its back to Europe and he added that such an outcome would also jeopardize reforms, particularly to Serbia’s economy, that have been won since a popular revolt overthrew Slobodan Milošević in 2000. Djelić hopes that American policies regarding the Balkans and Kosovo in particular will change once George Bush has left the White House next January. "Today we are far apart," said Djelić. "That of course hurts Belgrade much more than it hurts Washington, but it could also hurt the interests of the United States." "What we would hope is that in the months to come, or more probably a future administration, would have a more fact-based policy and a more even-handed policy," he said.
|
||||
| RegionBulgaria takes a step towards US visa-free travelTuesday, 01 July 2008 | AdministratorA preliminary agreement under the US Visa Waiver Programme was among the deals signed during Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev's three-day official visit to the United States, which ended on Wednesday, June 18.
Bulgaria signed a... + More |
RegionMurder he wrote - Suspected Macedonian serial killer was crime reporterTuesday, 01 July 2008 | AdministratorIn a bizarre case of life imitating art, Macedonian journalist, Vlado Taneski was recently arrested for having committed two of the murders he was covering for the daily paper, Utrinski Vesnik in the town of Kicevo, southwest of Skopje.
The... + More |
| +More | |
