Tuesday 12 May, 2009
We had a visit to Belgrade on 6/7 May from Tim Hitchens, the new Foreign Office Director for this region (and most other parts of Europe that aren't yet in the EU). In 24 hours, we had meetings with a wide range of Government representatives, journalists, academics, parliamentary party leaders and businesspeople. Tim's message was simple. Serbia will be a member of the EU; and we in the UK, as people who believe strongly in the EU enlargement process, will do everything we can to help Serbia towards that goal. We can't predict now exactly when membership will come but, in a way, the precise timing doesn't matter too much. The process of integration, and the reforms that go with that, are important in themselves, and we will continue to support that process, both directly and through the work of the European Commission (16% of whose budget comes from UK taxpayers).
In the meantime, there are other issues on which the UK wants to work with Serbia, for example on the future of Bosnia-Herzegovina. We both want to see Bosnia-Herzegovina succeed, within its internationally-recognised borders; and we both recognise that, while respect for the Dayton framework remains vitally important, there will need to be some changes, nor least when the old Dayton 'High Representative', with his 'Bonn Powers', gives way to a new form of international engagement through an EU Special Representative. Over time, there will need to be other changes too. The Dayton Constitution was a framework for stopping a conflict, not for creating a successful state. But any changes will need careful consideration, and a lot of work to persuade all the people involved to buy in to the process. This can't be rushed; but, equally, change has to take place, if Bosnia-Herzegovina is to be successful in joining the other countries of the region, one day, in the EU. We recognise that Serbia has a direct interest in all this, as a neighbour and through its role as a Dayton guarantor. So we see this as a good area for future dialogue and cooperation. We also, of course, discussed the situation in Kosovo. While we and Serbia are far apart on the issue of status, we can agree that we want to see the situation stabilise, and that there can be no excuse for violence, from any side. Tim was on his first visit to the region, and left from here for his first visit to Kosovo; he took with him a clear sense of Serbian concerns to explore with his interlocutors down there.
Posted at 17:00 12 May 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth | Comments[1]
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Posted by OwenE2 on May 14, 2009 at 09:15 AM CEST #