Serbia urges flexibility over Kosovo future

Serbia has urged "flexibility on all sides" once the International Court of Justice provides its advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence, a Serbian minister said.

"Serbia will be constructive, because a solution needs to be found, requiring flexibility on all sides," said Vuk Jeremic, Serbia's foreign minister, in comments reported on the website of independent news channel B92.

"Serbia is ready to enter a good-faith dialogue to find a solution to the Kosovo problem that is acceptable to all," Mr Jeremic said yesterday at an Organization of American States meeting in Lima, Peru.

Kosovo declared its independence in February 2008, and so far it has been recognised by 69 countries. The International Court of Justice in The Hague will deliver its opinion by the end of the year. Serbia continues to consider Kosovo its provice.

In an interview published last weekend in the Serbian newspaper Danas, Britain's ambassador to Belgrade, Stephen Wordsworth, said Serbia's candidature for the EU could not be separated from the Kosovo problem.

"You can't join an organisation (the EU) and at the same time remain in conflict with 80 per cent of the members," the ambassador said.

Kosovo's independence was recognised by 22 of the 27 EU members.

Once Belgrade's candidature is sent to the EU's executive Commission, Serbia will be tasked with completing a standard questionnaire stating precisely its territory and number of inhabitants.

"If Serbia includes Kosovo, the 22 countries which recognise its independence will have a problem with that. They will have difficultly accepting responses in the questionnaire which indicate that Kosovo and its inhabitants are an integral part of Serbia," the ambassasor said.