"Unilateral moves in Kosovo dangerous for whole world"

President Boris Tadic says that in the era of globalization, legitimizing Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence would destabilize the entire world. Therefore all unilateral attempts of resolving the Kosovo issue without a dialogue and compromise should be prevented, he told the Belgrade Security Forum on Thursday. "Unilateral moves in Kosovo dangerous for whole world" Tadic stated in his opening address that Kosovo could become a positive precedent only if the international community insisted on a dialogue and compromise between Belgrade and Pristina. “I must here express my grave concern: Unilateral action announced to happen tomorrow concerning an attempt of Pristina with EULEX to impose customs control at the administrative line in north Kosovo would seriously endanger peace and stability of the whole region. This solution has not been agreed between Belgrade and Pristina and therefore it must be prevented,” Tadic stated. The Serbian president recalled that the international system is predicated on a set of rules that apply to everyone without exception, and that its binding principles include the sovereign equality of states, the respect for the territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders. However, Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence fundamentally violates these basic norms of global governance, he noted. Tadic warned that legitimizing the Kosovo precedent would be followed by numerous conflicts across the world. The president said that Serbia will continue to contribute to the general interests of the region so that it could emerge from the past tumults in a more advantageous position, but that it will need international support in order to accomplish that. “We have to make sure that we stay the course-for when all is said and done, our strategic task is to build our European future,” Tadic said, adding that the integration process in this part of Europe is the best way to resolve security challenges. "I do not believe any of the issues we face as a region set us fundamentally apart from the world's security agenda. We are all so interconnected that it has become practically impossible to examine any region in isolation anymore," Tadic pointed out. Every security problem requires a multilateral approach, even though existing multilateral institutions are often not aligned with the actual distribution of power and influence. Serbia today is working very hard to avoid repeating the mistakes made in 1989, when some political actors misjudged the significance of that year's changes, thinking one can ignore fundamental changes in international politics without consequence. "No one seems to have a clear picture of what the world will look like in the not too distant future. Simply put, nothing seems to be predictable anymore. Under such circumstances, diplomacy is becoming more difficult to practice effectively-especially for smaller actors on the international scene. A country like ours has to make very sure it assesses the international circumstances correctly,“ Tadic explained. Talking about other security challenges in the region, Tadic stressed Serbia has made a strong contribution to the fight against terrorism and is a valued partner in the efforts to eliminate terrorism from the face of the earth. Also, the countries in the region have a common responsibility to eliminate this scourge of organized crime from their societies, Tadic said. "Serbia's zero-tolerance policy means that no one-absolutely no one-will be permitted to stand beyond the reach of the law. Our police and judiciary institutions will continue their relentless pursuit of crime bosses and their collaborators. We hope that all Western Balkan states will make fighting it a priority,“ Tadic said. Concluding his speech, Tadic said that in his view the Western Balkans is a pocket of stability in a world of increasingly unpredictable change, and that Serbia and the region, despite all the challenges, are well on their way towards completing the process of democratic consolidation. "I think our achievements are irreversible. That is why I am absolutely certain that the Republic of Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans will join the European Union. Let there be no doubt about that. This is a promise that will be kept,“ Tadic said. Boris Tadic (Beta)

"Unilateral moves in Kosovo dangerous for whole world"

Tadić stated in his opening address that Kosovo could become a positive precedent only if the international community insisted on a dialogue and compromise between Belgrade and Priština.

“I must here express my grave concern: Unilateral action announced to happen tomorrow concerning an attempt of Priština with EULEX to impose customs control at the administrative line in north Kosovo would seriously endanger peace and stability of the whole region. This solution has not been agreed between Belgrade and Priština and therefore it must be prevented,” Tadić stated.

The Serbian president recalled that the international system is predicated on a set of rules that apply to everyone without exception, and that its binding principles include the sovereign equality of states, the respect for the territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders. However, Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence fundamentally violates these basic norms of global governance, he noted.

Tadić warned that legitimizing the Kosovo precedent would be followed by numerous conflicts across the world.

The president said that Serbia will continue to contribute to the general interests of the region so that it could emerge from the past tumults in a more advantageous position, but that it will need international support in order to accomplish that.

“We have to make sure that we stay the course-for when all is said and done, our strategic task is to build our European future,” Tadić said, adding that the integration process in this part of Europe is the best way to resolve security challenges.

"I do not believe any of the issues we face as a region set us fundamentally apart from the world's security agenda. We are all so interconnected that it has become practically impossible to examine any region in isolation anymore," Tadić pointed out.

Every security problem requires a multilateral approach, even though existing multilateral institutions are often not aligned with the actual distribution of power and influence.

Serbia today is working very hard to avoid repeating the mistakes made in 1989, when some political actors misjudged the significance of that year's changes, thinking one can ignore fundamental changes in international politics without consequence.

"No one seems to have a clear picture of what the world will look like in the not too distant future. Simply put, nothing seems to be predictable anymore. Under such circumstances, diplomacy is becoming more difficult to practice effectively-especially for smaller actors on the international scene. A country like ours has to make very sure it assesses the international circumstances correctly,“ Tadić explained.

Talking about other security challenges in the region, Tadić stressed Serbia has made a strong contribution to the fight against terrorism and is a valued partner in the efforts to eliminate terrorism from the face of the earth.

Also, the countries in the region have a common responsibility to eliminate this scourge of organized crime from their societies, Tadić said.

"Serbia's zero-tolerance policy means that no one-absolutely no one-will be permitted to stand beyond the reach of the law. Our police and judiciary institutions will continue their relentless pursuit of crime bosses and their collaborators. We hope that all Western Balkan states will make fighting it a priority,“ Tadić said.

Concluding his speech, Tadić said that in his view the Western Balkans is a pocket of stability in a world of increasingly unpredictable change, and that Serbia and the region, despite all the challenges, are well on their way towards completing the process of democratic consolidation.

"I think our achievements are irreversible. That is why I am absolutely certain that the Republic of Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans will join the European Union. Let there be no doubt about that. This is a promise that will be kept,“ Tadić said.