EU readying for Kosovo, Serbia dialogue: UK official
(PRISTINA) - The European Union is preparing for a "constructive dialogue" between Belgrade and Pristina once the International Court of Justice renders its decision on Kosovo's independence, Britain's minister for European affairs David Lidington said Thursday.
"The independence of Kosovo is an established fact so it cannot be going back," said Lidington on a visit to Kosovo, a predominantly ethnic Albanian province of Serbia before it declared independence in February 2008.
Britain, its EU partners and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton are preparing "for what we intend to be a consorted EU response once the International Court of Justice's opinion is known," he added
"That will seek to take things forward, to advocate a constructive dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia on practical issues."
Kosovo's independence has so far been recognised by 69 countries, including the United States and 22 out of 27 EU member states.
Serbia, which covets Kosovo as the cradle of Serb identity, is challenging the legal of the declaration of independence at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
The court, part of the United Nations system, is due to hand down its non-binding opinion in the coming months.
Lidington, a member of the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in London, said Britain "will remain resolute in its support for independence of Kosovo and in its opposition to any talk about (its) partition or revisiting the issue of Kosovo status."
"The government of the United Kingdom looks forward to supporting Kosovo and its ambitions for full membership of both the European Union and NATO," he added.
Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, one of several Kosovo officials who Lidington met, said there were "many topics that could be discussed with Serbia," but stressed that the status of Kosovo was not one of them.
"We do not expect Serbia to recognise Kosovo tomorrow, but we do expect them to be careful about it and its citizens," Sejdiu said.