EUROPE NEWS
OCTOBER 13, 2010
OCTOBER 13, 2010
By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH
PRISTINA, Kosovo—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Balkan capitals Tuesday, urging people and political leaders to set aside ethnic animosities and catch up with their neighbors on the path to integration with the European Union.
PRISTINA, Kosovo—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Balkan capitals Tuesday, urging people and political leaders to set aside ethnic animosities and catch up with their neighbors on the path to integration with the European Union.
In Belgrade, Mrs. Clinton met with Serbian President Boris Tadic and other officials as she sought to encourage progress in talks aimed at improving relations between Serbia and Kosovo, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008.
Under intense pressure from the EU, Mr. Tadic agreed recently to start negotiations with Kosovo and dropped plans for a challenge at the United Nations to an International Court of Justice decision in July upholding the legality of the country's statehood.
Mrs. Clinton said Serbia and Kosovo should engage "sincerely and creatively to resolve their differences once and for all." After meeting with Mr. Tadic she said, "It is very clear to me that Serbia is on a path toward greater partnership with the Euro-Atlantic community and stronger relations with its neighbors."
Mr. Tadic said, "We want Serbia to be a predictable partner. Only in that way will we rebuild trust."
Mrs. Clinton is due next to carry her message to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, where she is scheduled to meet Wednesday with the prime minister and other leaders before traveling on to Brussels for meetings with EU officials.
Mrs. Clinton can expect a warm welcome here from the ethnic Albanians who make up 90% of Kosovo's population. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton backed a 1999 NATO military intervention that halted a Serbian crackdown on Albanian separatists in Kosovo.
After nearly a decade under international administration and unable to reach a negotiated settlement with Serbia, Kosovo decided to formally secede. Serbia says it cannot accept such a "unilateral" declaration of independence by Kosovo, which Serbs consider the cradle of their culture and religion.
A statue of Mr. Clinton stands in downtown Pristina. In anticipation of Mrs. Clinton's arrival, a billboard with a smiling picture of the secretary of state has been erected on a main street, and American flags hang side by side with those of Kosovo.
Kosovo's prime minister, Hashim Thaci, is keen for the U.S.—viewed like the EU as a staunch ally—to be involved in the talks between his government and Serbia's.
Under intense pressure from the EU, Mr. Tadic agreed recently to start negotiations with Kosovo and dropped plans for a challenge at the United Nations to an International Court of Justice decision in July upholding the legality of the country's statehood.
Mrs. Clinton said Serbia and Kosovo should engage "sincerely and creatively to resolve their differences once and for all." After meeting with Mr. Tadic she said, "It is very clear to me that Serbia is on a path toward greater partnership with the Euro-Atlantic community and stronger relations with its neighbors."
Mr. Tadic said, "We want Serbia to be a predictable partner. Only in that way will we rebuild trust."
Mrs. Clinton is due next to carry her message to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, where she is scheduled to meet Wednesday with the prime minister and other leaders before traveling on to Brussels for meetings with EU officials.
Mrs. Clinton can expect a warm welcome here from the ethnic Albanians who make up 90% of Kosovo's population. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton backed a 1999 NATO military intervention that halted a Serbian crackdown on Albanian separatists in Kosovo.
After nearly a decade under international administration and unable to reach a negotiated settlement with Serbia, Kosovo decided to formally secede. Serbia says it cannot accept such a "unilateral" declaration of independence by Kosovo, which Serbs consider the cradle of their culture and religion.
A statue of Mr. Clinton stands in downtown Pristina. In anticipation of Mrs. Clinton's arrival, a billboard with a smiling picture of the secretary of state has been erected on a main street, and American flags hang side by side with those of Kosovo.
Kosovo's prime minister, Hashim Thaci, is keen for the U.S.—viewed like the EU as a staunch ally—to be involved in the talks between his government and Serbia's.
The exact timing and nature of the talks, however, remains unclear. Complicating matters, Kosovo's president recently resigned. New elections are expected early next year, and Kosovo is unlikely to make any major moves before a new administration is in place.
Kosovo wants talks that respect its sovereignty and deal with issues such as phone service and road and rail transport between the two countries. Serbia would prefer discussions ending in a broader political settlement acceptable to Serb voters.
"Our view is these would be talks among equals, and it would be an opportunity for them both to move forward," Philip Gordon, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe said ahead of Mrs. Clinton's trip. He said the U.S. expects "to be fully involved in that process."
For the EU, the situation is complicated by the fact that five of the bloc's 27 members still don't recognize Kosovo's independence. "We know where we want to go, but we might need more time than the Americans want to give," said a European official in Kosovo. The U.S. and the EU, he said, need to stay united to ensure progress.
In Bosnia—which remains politically fractured along ethnic lines 15 years after 1995 peace accords ended a bloody conflict there—Mrs. Clinton said political leaders need to move beyond historic divisions.
"Nobody will create a stable and prosperous future of this country by stoking animosities of the past," she said. "That will lead only to more distrust, disunion, stagnation and poverty."
Mrs. Clinton compared the situation to her relationship with President Barack Obama.
"I ran against him, as you know," she said. "And then when he won, he asked me to work with him. Now, in many countries, that would still seem like such a strange idea. If you're in a political contest, it should be a zero-sum game. ...I'm often asked how could I go to work for President Obama after trying to defeat him. And the answer is simple: we both love our country. And at some point, that has to be the mindset that develops here."
Mrs. Clinton will return to the theme of ethnic harmony in Kosovo, where she plans to visit a majority-Serb enclave.
"For Kosovo to succeed, like for all countries to succeed," said Mr. Gordon, "it needs to make sure that all of its ethnic groups are appropriately represented."
Write to Gordon Fairclough at gordon.fairclough@wsj.com
Kosovo wants talks that respect its sovereignty and deal with issues such as phone service and road and rail transport between the two countries. Serbia would prefer discussions ending in a broader political settlement acceptable to Serb voters.
"Our view is these would be talks among equals, and it would be an opportunity for them both to move forward," Philip Gordon, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe said ahead of Mrs. Clinton's trip. He said the U.S. expects "to be fully involved in that process."
For the EU, the situation is complicated by the fact that five of the bloc's 27 members still don't recognize Kosovo's independence. "We know where we want to go, but we might need more time than the Americans want to give," said a European official in Kosovo. The U.S. and the EU, he said, need to stay united to ensure progress.
In Bosnia—which remains politically fractured along ethnic lines 15 years after 1995 peace accords ended a bloody conflict there—Mrs. Clinton said political leaders need to move beyond historic divisions.
"Nobody will create a stable and prosperous future of this country by stoking animosities of the past," she said. "That will lead only to more distrust, disunion, stagnation and poverty."
Mrs. Clinton compared the situation to her relationship with President Barack Obama.
"I ran against him, as you know," she said. "And then when he won, he asked me to work with him. Now, in many countries, that would still seem like such a strange idea. If you're in a political contest, it should be a zero-sum game. ...I'm often asked how could I go to work for President Obama after trying to defeat him. And the answer is simple: we both love our country. And at some point, that has to be the mindset that develops here."
Mrs. Clinton will return to the theme of ethnic harmony in Kosovo, where she plans to visit a majority-Serb enclave.
"For Kosovo to succeed, like for all countries to succeed," said Mr. Gordon, "it needs to make sure that all of its ethnic groups are appropriately represented."
Write to Gordon Fairclough at gordon.fairclough@wsj.com
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