Πέμπτη 7 Οκτωβρίου 2010

Secretary Clinton to Visit Balkan States Next Week


07 Oct 2010 / 11:50
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel through the Balkans from October 11 to 14, the US State Department has confirmed.

Petrit Collaku
Clinton will first stop in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then move on to Serbia and Kosovo before taking off for a visit to Brussels.
“The Secretary will meet with government and civic leaders, and citizens to highlight the continued U.S. commitment to support all the Balkan states in achieving their aspirations for full integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic community,” the State Department press release reads.
After her visit to the region, Clinton will participate in the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels and hold meetings with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
“I am very much looking forward to my visit to both Belgrade and Pristina and the opportunity not only to speak with leaders, but also with citizens,” Clinton said during a joint appearance with Ashton in the US in September.
Clinton's visit to Kosovo will be her first to the country.
She is expected to encourage Pristina and Belgrade to hold talks and highlight the benefits for both sides of reaching an agreement through EU-backed negotiations.
“It's important that we keep the goal of that future in the minds of both Serbs and Kosovars, because there are difficult issues that they will have to resolve,” Clinton said in September.
“The European Union and the United States stand ready to assist and facilitate, to support and cajole that the parties do reach these agreements with each other. But ultimately, it is up to the leaders and the people that will have to come to a decision about their future," she continued.
The EU is pushing for talks to be held between Kosovo and Serbia as soon as possible after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution for the start of the negotiations in September.

balkan insight

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