EU president may skip problematic Balkan summit

(BRUSSELS) - European Union president Herman Van Rompuy may stay away from an EU-Balkans summit on Saturday due to "problems" between Slovenia, Serbia and Kosovo, a diplomat warned on Thursday.

Van Rompuy "has indicated that he will take part as long as there aren't poroblems between the three countries," the EU diplomat said.

"For the time being, there are problems and if they aren't resolved before Saturday, I don't expect the president to take part in something which will end up in stalemate," he added.

The diplomat voiced concern on the summit preparations made by host nation Slovenia, the co-organiser with Croatia, to bring all relevant parties round the table.

Serbia has not yet said whether it will participate in the talks at Brdo pri Kranju, near Ljubljana.

In recent days it has said it will only be there if the Kosovo delegation comes under the UN Kosovo mission flag, rather than the emblems of an independent state.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in March 2008, since when its independence has been recognised by most, but not all, of the 27 EU nations.

Serbia still considers the large ethnic-Albanian enclave to be a rogue province, under UN control.

Belgrade systematically bows out of all international meetings where Pristina's leaders are invited as state representatives and attends only those at which the Kosovo officials are present under the United Nations' administration (UNMIK) flag.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has said he will attend the summit in Slovenia only as a representative of an independent nation.

The EU-Balkans summit is designed to speed up the EU integration of all the states from the Balkans.

Of the six former Yugoslav republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia -- only the latter has joined the European Union. Croatia hopes to join by 2012.