New Kosova Report

Kosovo president: Serbia ready to move closer to Europe

Tuesday, 05 February 2008

Fatmir Sejdiu

VIENNA (AP)--Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu said Monday the result of Serbia's presidential election showed Serbia's will to break with its violent past and move closer to Europe.

"It indicates that it's time for Serbia to leave the past behind, especially their radical views over Kosovo...and look towards euro-Atlantic integration," Sejdiu told The Associated Press.

Parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi also hailed Tadic's re-election as "a victory for more democratic forces in Serbia," but said it would have no bearing on plans by the province's ethnic Albanian majority to declare statehood.

"Kosovo's parliament is ready...to declare independence within this month," Krasniqi said.

The European Union and Serbia are to sign their political cooperation deal on Thursday.

The pact aims to establish regular political ties, open up trade, and end visa restrictions on Serbs. It falls short of a wider deal to prepare Serbia for E.U. membership - a move the Netherlands blocked because of Serbia's failure to hand over indicted war crimes suspects.