Romania: Status talks on Kosovo must continue
Romanian President Traian Basescu called for a pursuit of talks between Belgrade and Pristina on the future status of Kosovo, arguing that a unilateral declaration of independence could never be “legally unjustified” and would create a “second Albanian state” in the Balkans.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, February 01, 2008
Meanwhile, Cyprus and Spain reiterated they would not recognize the independence of Kosovo either.
"I know that some will not like what I will say, but I truly believe that Belgrade and Pristina should be given an additional opportunity to discuss future status", Basescu said in Brussels on Thursday evening.
The Romanian president said that the reason why there was no resolution of the status in the talks was that "Pristina knew that it would be getting support for independence anyhow".
"We believe that the only realistic solution is the encouragement of a fruitful dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina based on international law", the Romanian president said.
He said that "unilateral moves by Pristina could multiply unilateral moves by other minorities in the Western Balkans, a region which has extremely discussable frontiers".
"The Albanians already have have Albania, and in the case of an independent Kosovo, they would have two Albanian states ... It means that an independent Kosovo would create a new Albanian state", Basescu said.
He argued this would create "huge problems".
"We like Europe in which international principles are respected ... while we do not like to use precedents which are not based on internationa law", the Romanian president said.
Journalists asked whether he was "afraid that his position was too close to the Russian one".
"I am not afraid of being close to the Russian position, but I would be afraid if my position was contrary to international law, UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act ... Our position is in line with international law, while the violation of international law would mean the violation of a system which had kept peace in Europe in the last 60 years", the Romanian president said.
« The independence of Kosovo simply cannot be legally justified », Basescu said.
In Helsinki, Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Markoullis said Nicosia would under no circomstance revise its opposition to the independence of Kosovo.
"In terms of recognition, there is no room for the changing of our position, she said.
In Berlin, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero reiterated his position was against Kosovo's independence as it would encourage Basque and other separatist tendencies in Spain.
