EU:The president of the European Parliament has cautioned against any unilateral declaration of independence by the government of Kosovo in advance of presidential elections in Serbia.
Hans-Gert Pöttering said in Strasbourg yesterday the "long-term perspective" of both Serbia and Kosovo was that they would be "partners in the European Union", but he warned that "whatever will be done by the government of Kosovo must be done in close consultation with the EU".
Mr Pöttering said the case for independence for Kosovo should not be seen as a precedent for regions or minorities across the EU, specifically referring to the Basque separatists.
Her told journalists that "there is a special relationship between Kosovo and Serbia, because of what happened in the recent past", which he described as unique. "It should not become an example for other areas in the EU," he said.
Asked how the EU would react to a declaration of independence by Kosovo, Mr Pöttering replied that a unilateral declaration could lead to the "escalation of the situation" and the position of the parliament was that it wanted to reinforce stability, to support the objectives of Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency, in relation to the western Balkans.
The policy of the Slovenian presidency is that European membership for the western Balkans should remain "a central item on the EU agenda". In advance of a statement on its priorities due this morning the presidency has said stability of the Balkans was of "utmost importance for the security and prosperity of the entire union".
Slovenia, which took over the presidency on January 1st, is the first of the 2004 accession countries to hold that office and prime minister Janez Jansa's priorities will be debated by MEPs, with José Manuel Barroso responding for the commission.
Mr Pöttering said he would like to see a united EU "taking one position" on the future of Kosovo and while each case for membership of the union would have to be examined on its individual merits, he believed the prospect of membership of the union was crucial. "Our advice is to proceed carefully, " he said.