The European Union (EU) member states need to unite over the status of Kosovo - a split between those who support Kosovo's independence and those who don't would be a defeat for Europe's common foreign and security policy, visiting French Foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said on Tuesday.
"European unity on the difficult issue of Kosovo is the only solution," said the French minister after meeting with his Romanian counterpart Adrian Cioroianu.
The French minister said that the future of Serbia is in the European Union, but that this country cannot join the community before the issue of Kosovo's independence is peacefully settled. "It's impossible for Serbia to join the EU with an unsettled ethnic conflict," said Kouchner.
Cioroianu echoed Kouchner's statement. "A solution accepted by all the parties involved, that should be neither imposed, nor unilateral -- that's what we believe will defuse tensions in the region," said Romania's chief diplomat.
Romanian President Traian Basescu reiterated on Monday Romania's disapproval of Kosovo's independence, saying that there is no legal basis for the creation of a Kosovo state. "Nobody could easily trespass the international law norms," said Basescu.
Legally still part of the Serbian Republic, Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since mid-1999 as a protectorate. Kosovo's future status has been a bitter subject between Belgrade and Kosovo's Albanian majority who are pushing for independence.
Talks on Kosovo's future status are due to end in December. Local Albanians have said that they would declare independence unilaterally if no deal is reached during the talks.
This would put dilemma to the EU members, as the 27-member bloc has been split over the independence of Kosovo.
The UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari presented last March his proposals which would grant supervised independence to Kosovo. The plan was backed by the United States and many of the western countries, but was vehemently opposed by Serbia and the veto-holding Russia.
Source: Xinhua
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