Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic assessed that Serbia has fulfilled all obligations, while announcing that in Brussels on June 14, he will demand a clear answer from the EU officials on whether there are some special requirements for Serbia that might postpone the start of the talks. Sandra Pekic has more.
When it comes to objections regarding candidate states' obligations stemming from the European agenda, Nikolic said he is willing to help "any government that will be constituted” deal with shortcomings that have been noticed by the EU in terms of the judicial reform, corruption and crime.
I expect to finally find out in Brussels whether the EU insists on Serbia’s acceptance of Kosovo's independence so that Serbia could continue its path towards the EU. We have been granted the candidate status and we rightfully expect the talks to begin in autumn," Nikolic said in an interview for the Tanjug news agency.
Asked how he sees the future of the Belgrade-Pristina talks and whether he expects the EU to formally ask Serbia to renounce Kosovo, Nikolic said he believes that we will never hear such a request. He added that he would like all citizens of Serbia to take part in resolving the Kosovo issue based on a consensus of political parties. President also believes that the negotiations with Pristina should be held at a higher level than before. That should be left to the Prime Minister, Nikolic underlined, adding that the negotiations are not technical, but rather fateful. Nikolic pointed that he is ready to have talks with representatives of Kosovo Albanians, with exception of Hasim Thaci, who is suspected of committing serious crimes against Serbs.
In response to the question pertaining to his stance on Srebrenica, Nikolic said in 2010, the Serbian Assembly adopted the Resolution condemning a terrible crime against Bosnian population in that region. Emphasizing that he condemns all crimes, Serbian President reminded that he requested adoption of a resolution condemning all crimes with special emphasis on the Srebrenica case. Commenting on his statement on Vukovar as a Serbian town, which prompted numerous reactions, Serbian President explained that his words were taken out of the context, and that the misunderstanding was cleared up to a great extent during the talks with the Croatian Ambassador to Serbia.
Nikolic said he wants to ensure that everyone in Serbia and the region has the same rights and opportunities. As for various reactions to the fact that he has been elected Serbian president, Nikolic said that presidents of all states and heads of all governments extended congratulations to him and wished prosperity for Serbia.