Croatia says Balkans-EU summit go ahead despite Kosovo row

(ZAGREB) - Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Tuesday she believed that an upcoming EU-Balkans summit would take place despite uncertainty over participation of Serbian and Kosovo leaders.

"The conference will take place, we are still working on organisational details, but we believe there are no obstacles for it not to be held," Kosor, whose country is organising the conference jointly with Slovenia, told journalists.

There is uncertainty about the conference, due to be held on Saturday, as Serbia and Kosovo are at odds about how Kosovo should be represented, with both vowing to boycott the meeting if their demands are not met.

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.

On the other hand Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said earlier he would attend the summit in Slovenia only as a representative of an independent nation.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in March 2008, but Belgrade still considers the area a run-away province.

"I am an optimist and I believe that everything will be arranged and that all those whom we, as organisers, are expecting at this conference will be there," Kosor stressed.

The EU-Balkans summit is designed to speed up the EU integration of all the states from the Balkans. It is to take place at Brdo pri Kranju, near Slovenia's capital Ljubljana.

Of the six former Yugoslav republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia -- only the latter has joined the European Union. Croatia hopes to become the bloc's 28th member by 2012.