Deniau: Dialog next week or candidacy might fail
12. November 2011. | 09:37
Source: Tanjug
French Ambassador to Serbia Francois-Xavier Deniau told Tanjug Friday that the Belgrade-Pristina dialog should be resumed as soon as possible, perhaps as early as next week, as time for Serbia's candidacy was running out.
French Ambassador to Serbia Francois-Xavier Deniau told Tanjug Friday that the Belgrade-Pristina dialog should be resumed as soon as possible, perhaps as early as next week, as time for Serbia's candidacy was running out.
Deniau pointed out that France supported Serbia's candidacy, but stressed that it was vital to make progress in the dialog between Belgrade and Pristina.
I hope that the Serbian government will make a decision to sit back at the negotiating table as soon as possible, as the clock is ticking, the French ambassador said. We think that it would be good if the dialog is resumed as early as next week, which starts on November 14, as otherwise it might be too late, he added.
Deniau said that the dialog should help reach concrete solutions for concrete problems, including an agreement on free movement of people and goods, which could not be achieved by setting up roadblocks, as they only made things harder for people.
On the other hand, Pristina's authorities should make serious proposals about how people in Kosovo, especially the minorities, could have their lives, autonomy and property protected, which we have already conveyed to the authorities in Pristina, the French ambassador said.
The European Council will have their say on Serbia's candidacy on the basis of the opinion given by the European Commission (EC), which recommended that Serbia should be granted the candidate status as soon as the dialog with Pristina is resumed and as soon as the Serbian side implements the agreements reached in the talks, such as the agreement on free movement, Deniau said.
Deniau said that Serbian government shared the view that the dialog should be resumed and concrete results achieved.
I can feel that the candidacy is very close, but Serbia has the next move, Ambasador Deniau said, expressing the hope that the political obstacles for Serbia to become a member of the European family will be removed soon.
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