The European Union (EU) warned Monday that Serbia could risk isolation if it quits plans to join the EU over the issue of Kosovo.
"Now Serbia has a very crucial choice to make: it can either stick to the European future or risk self-imposed isolation," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
He said that while the first option would bring stability, more freedom and increasing prosperity to Serbia, the second option is "a road to nowhere."
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he hoped the upcoming elections in Serbia would be an opportunity for the Serbian voters to demonstrate their support for the EU course.
"We would like to extend our hands and our arms so that Serbia can get as close to the European Union and (we have) as deep a relationship as possible," he told reporters.
Earlier on Monday, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's government formally stepped down and called for early elections in May. The move followed clashes between Kostunica and pro-Western President Boris Tadic over how to deal with the EU's stance towards Kosovo.
A majority of the EU's 27 member states have recognized the independence of Kosovo, much to the irritation of Serbia. Serbia considers the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo's 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority last month as illegal.
Kostunica wants Serbia to pursue EU membership only if the EU member countries withdraw their recognition of Kosovo, which Tadicopposes.
Serbia has initialed but not signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), the first step for Balkan states to move towards the EU.
Slovenian Foreign Minister Dmitrij Rupel, who chaired Monday's meeting, said the foreign ministers agreed that the EU needs to keep Serbia on the European track.
"Serbia is facing a choice of whether going towards Europe or staying nationalistic. Of course we want Serbia to choose Europe," he said.
He said the situation in Kosovo is better than some have feared, although the situation in a whole is still unstable, especially in the region around Mitrovica in northern Kosovo.
He said the EU ministers want the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to stay in place on the border between Serbia and Kosovo.
During the meeting, Olli Rehn briefed the ministers about the Western Balkan states' progress in their EU entry bid.
He said he was convinced that Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro "have very good potential to make decisive moves ahead on their European path this year."
Source:Xinhua
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