The first thing i would like to say is that Kosovo is the
( 1 ) (the hearth of Serbia)

EU and all the former countries blame Serbia for what happend in the past..... and serbia is still taking the blame from the EU and from the and those former countries

mio-carlito, Palermo, Italy

Serbia will join the EU soon or later it deserves to be there....
economicaly and geogrphicly speaking it should have been in the EU a long time ago.... but because of politics they must wait........ the life style there is very very good compare to the new EU members ......... Srbija

mmio-carlito, palermo , Italy

So Serbia is promised to join EU, only months after almost staging another war, while Ukraine, who won independence & democracy peacefully, who even did peacekeeping there, was told on same day - "no way" -not even in 2020! EU is a sick, corrupted instution who sold Ukraine for cheaper Russian gas.

Stella, Toronto, CANADA

It is scarry what noncence and lies and stupidities are said here!
I call my countryman from Serbia and all Serbs not to argue with this people, we know who we are and what happened and why.
These people are brain washed by media, i could presume that a lot of them are Albanians under false names

mirko, BEOGRAD, Serbia

EU lost a lot, better to say - all of credibility, not only in Serbia but also in some neighbor countries. It is a pity, EU was a nice idea...

Personally, I liked the idea of being a part of the big family of countries in EU. Not any more.

For me, EU dream finished. Even Montenegro will become a part, I will never respect it as something positive.

Thanks from Montenegro also. We simply do not count the same way... There is still a little bit of soul we are trying to keep.

Slavka, Podgorica, Montenegro

Thumbs up for the friendly tone to the article. But for the Serbs this friendliness of tone doesn't do the job. What is that supposed to mean: Serbia is a backbone of the Balkans?Blah,blah.blah. What counts are the actions- not the words. So if you press any of this sweet talkers against the wall what you usually hear will be slightly different- we can join the EU MAYBE in 20 years, and there will be a lot more request to fulfill until that date. So my dear : blah-blah-blah.

zorica, toront,

Serbia seems to be full of "little Hitlers". Face it in 600 years time your descendents will be celebrating this defeat at Kosovo just like you celebrated the last one. Quite sad really. Do Mongolians have a legitimate claim over vast ares of Russia and eastern Europe because once they had an empire covering that area?

raymond, Liverpool, UK

Serbia seems to be full of "little Hitlers". Face it in 600 years time your descendants will be celebrating this defeat at Kosovo just like you celebrated the last one. Quite sad really. Do Mongolians have a legitimate claim over vast areas of Russia and eastern Europe because once they had an empire covering that area?

raymond, Liverpool, UK

Bernard Kouchner and Carl Bildt are right: Serbia is the “backbone” of the Balkans and without stability in Serbia it is very unlikely that the whole region will prosper.

But will there be stability in the near future? Albanians succeeded in cutting off all ties with Serbia. But what about the areas of Kosovo with the Serbian majority? Serbs who live there want to severe all ties with independent Kosovo. If separation of Serbs and Albanians is the only solution for peace, as George Bush believes, then they should be completely separated.

SAVO HELETA
Author of "Not My Turn to Die:
Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia"
savoheleta.livejournal.com

Savo Heleta, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Last wars in all ex YU were more or less the same. Everyone committed a crime, killed, went over the top. The fact is that in the last 10 years nothing happened, apart that Montenegro got independence, peacefully.
Serbia is now apparently punished for something that happened roughly 10 years ago. But Serbia have been punished already: economic sanctions + bombardment.
Serbian history regarding Kosovo goes way back, it is obvious that many Westerners are not well informed as most of them see Milosevic as a man who did something bad to Albanians - the only reference used so far.
After Kosovo got their independence with the help of few powerful countries Serbia really does not need to be in the same group with 'these friends'. Have your EU, thank you very much. Serbia feels betrayed by Europe.
What future will bring no one knows. One thing for sure is certain, Serbia will never forget and forgive this tremendous and current loss.

Vesna, Tokyo,

How the US & Britain can back a backwards people such as the Albanians LIVING in another sovereign country is beyond me.
Hatred towards catholics, no womans rights, terrorist backing, human trafficking, church burning, lay-a-bout thugs.

The US & Britain (I mean the) UN comes in to eliminate Milosovic, sets up a workable treaty, and then ignores the UN's position on the matter when it's convenient.
Serbia's hands are tied, they can't fight without the US coming down on them. They can't speak out or they won't be admitted to the EU. And when they take a western tact and try to diplomatically solve the problem -they're ignored.

But don't worry. We can debate all this again when the Albanians try to secede from Crna Gora, Macedonia & Romania...

Peter Herbst, NYC, NY

Dr. David Green, Athens, Greece, may have visions of a "Greater Albania" and he may personally entertain Albanian territorial claims on Greek sovereign territory through the fictional "presence of Albanians" in "northeastern Greece." He should be disabused of these notions. As for the Albanian "self-confidence" and "dynamism" it suffices to point out that after the billions of dollars that have poured as foreign aid into Kosovo since 1999, the electricity network does not function, unemployment is rampant, and public servants are paid 150-200 euros a month. Only drug, gun and human trafficking enterprises are flourishing and financing the building of mansions for the ex-UCK "Kosovo liberators" but not genuine nation-builders. The U.S. Administration and its short-sighted European partners have managed to implant a new "narco state" in the middle of the Balkans while servicing the Albanian irredentist nationalism. This is not a good combination for Balkan peace and stability.

L. Pilalis, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.

This is double policy of the EU and its leaders if they give Serbia EU candidate status. Many times in the past they were saying that full cooperation with Hague tribunal and extradiction of war criminals Mladic and Karadzic was a key condition for Serbia to begin a proccess of entering to EU (and they had the same stance was for other ex yugoslav countries like Croatia till they didn't fulfil this condition).
With this policy Serbia as the main reason for the war in ex Yugoslavia (agressive war which was led on territories of BiH and Croatia) will not be forced to confront itself with its war sins and the two biggest war criminals on the Hague list will be able to live like free man (Mladic and Karazdic who are responsable for the biggest European massacre after WW2, Srebrenica massacre when they slaughtered 10 000 muslims)!!! That is HYPOCRISY of the EU and Bernard Kouchner and Carl Bildt!!!

Jure Roso, Berlin, Germany

As a Brit expat living in Athens of course we want Serbia in the EU but not before it recognises the independent region of Kosovo. What I have called in another publication "the Kosovo dialectic" is entirely consonant with the character of a postmodern Europe: a Europe of regions rather than centralised nation states. Serbia needs to come up to speed on this new European development. I note that another blogger has pointed out that the Albanians are a more ancient Balkan people than the Slavs. This is historically the case and cannot be denied in spite of the cultural attachment of Serbia to its former province. The Albanian peoples are now recovering their self-confidence and will in time form a Muslim crescent in the Balkans stretching from Albania through Bosnia, Kosovo, FYROM-Skopje, south Bulgaria, the north-eastern tip of Greece to Turkey. Both the Serbian Slavs and the rest of us Europeans will have to come to terms with this new dynamic force on our continent. Let's move on!

Dr David Green, Athens, Greece

First thing that most are not realizing, Serbia is a democratic country. And we don't need isolation in a way to be punished if we don't accept Kosovo independence. we can never accept independence of a part of our territory which was stolen from us against international law. If Kosovo has to stay unrecognized by Serbia , Russia Spain and a lot of other countries for 100 of years so be it. We have lost Kosovo before against other big powers and have regained it this is because it is ours and we always believed. God is on our side and justice will prevail.

Milan, Belgrade, Serbia

Dragan, are you saying the Serbs stopped the Ottomans at Vienna? Really? Interesting, almost as if 1389 never happened. Oh yeah and WW1 happened just because Princip shot the Arch Duke. That is funny - as in it makes me laugh, especially the bit about how all Serbs in the past ate with gold forks. I have heard that mentioned once before, can you explain the gold utensils thing? And also I am interested (really) to hear more about the places in Serbia that you like. Personally I don't like London very much.

Tom, Sapporo,

Common all people of Serb background. I thought your people were meant to be educated and civilised. Stop feeding the lies.
Fact, Serbian people are of slavic background.
Fact, the slavs origins are from Russia.
Albanians were in Kosova (ancient illyrian tribes) way before the slavs migrated south and took over their land.
KOSOVA was and always should have been albanian lands.
90% of the people in the area are albanian, what more can one say. They majority should have the right to determine their destiny. Isn't that what democracy is about.

And after all the atrocities you commited during the short period that you administered the area you certainly showed the rest of the world that it certainly doesn’t belong under the serbian umbrella.
The comments about the albanians breeding like rabbits and that’s why their numbers have grown so significantly is almost as believable as the Telstra commercial about the rabbits and emperor masigoring keeping the rabbits out.

alex barlow, Melbourne, Australia

that's right, ignore serbia and ignore kosovo, do not send EULEX down there, and all will be fine. I totally agree.

Milana, Sydney, Australia

There are some weird people in Sapporo. Some who don't know history. The would the world and Europe been different had it not been for some of the sacrifices the Serbs incurred as well? How would have Europe been had the Ottoman Empire rampaged past the gates of Vienna? Maybe we would have lived in Kosovo still, eating from golden utensils, like our forefatherd did, when the civilized world was eating with their hands. What if Franz Ferdinand was never assisinated...hmmmm...all old empires would still be around...blame us...

For your information Tom and for all others, Serbia has wonderful places too. Maybe we don't have London, Paris or the Carribean, but we have a big heart and a right to exist.

Dragan, Toronto, Canada

There are a lot of weird people in Serbia. In the 1990s I was told by one of them that Germany was dismembering Yugoslavia because they wanted access to the sea - the existence of Hamburg, Bremen etc hadn't registered. They also have this other national myth that they only fight to defend Europe from the muslims descending on us from the East? If Serbia was a person she/he would be institutionalised.

Oh and of course the Serbian people are not to blame for anything whatsoever, ever, at any time, not to blame, not to blame! There is a very strange national psychosis going on in that country, it is immature.

The question really is what in the name of heaven would Serbia contribute to the EU that would be any good? At least with Slovenia we got nice mountains and with Croatia a nice coast to holiday on. But what exactly does Serbia have to offer? Lets agree to ignore them.

Tom, Sapporo,

First of all, Serbia should not apologise for any genocides over Bosnians, Croats, etc, during te 90's because Bosnians and Croats, neither have apologised (but argued how they've only defended their territory) and genocides over Serbian people, we all know this were more frequent and more terrifying that those that Serbs have done. Well, Serbs also defended their territory.

Secondly, western media are portraying Vojislav Kostunica and Tomislav Nikolic as nationalists (they are nationalists), but in a negative context, as if nationalism is bad. Nationalism is what can save Serbia. It means keeping national pride AND IDENTITY. EU membership erases all that. We don't want globalisation, we don't want U.S. manipulations of the international law.

Serbia doesn't need EU. Why should Serbia be pro-west orientated, if West has never been pro-Serbian?? And those who voted for Tadic and morun over Djindjic, those who want visas for the price of Kosovo are betraying their own people.

Milana, Sydney, Australia

Just as an FYI, the territory is called "Kosovo". Eventually the nation may decide to undergo an official name change to "Kosova". That is fine. But in the meantime, lets just stick to the facts.

Milan, New York, USA

Kosov a is now indenpendent and this i s finish for serbia.
Kosova now is new state in the world and that is finish for serbia ,never, never serbia in Kosova.

Kadri, Viti,Skifteraj, Kosova

The ministers do not present any arguments in support of the policies of their respective governments, except to say that France and Sweden recognised Kosovo's independence 'because ...there was no other solution' and that they are certain that Serbia will soon be a member of the EU 'because there is no alternative'. This is the standard EU expansionist line - all discussion and opposition is futile, because it's inevitable.

Clive MacDonald, Dronfield, Derbyshire

Thanks Ivana from Belgrade for having seen things as they are. A Russian 'satrapy' or EU membership? This is the choice the serbs will make on May 11.

I pray they chose wisely.

Kreshnik, Toronto, Republic of Albania

EU- Serbia relations resemble an abusive relationship between spouses: every- so- often EU "beats up" Serbia, and then come the declaration of love, devotion and "I did not really mean it" excuses from EU. So far, Serbia has always come back, but I am just waiting for the "battered wife syndrome" to kick- in (maybe, May 11th election).
What is most distributing thing is that the corpse of Zoran Djindic is being used to patch up things between Serbia and EU over Kosovo, when he himself was against the independence. Once, he said that only thing that can stop Serbia from becoming EU country would be an independent Kosovo. This abuse of Zoran's memory is in poor taste, especially from such "good" friends like Bernard Kouchner and Carl Bildt.

Nikola, Toronto, Canada

With friends like you, Serbia doesn’t need enemies. This letter should have been dedicated to the Radical party of Serbia as your actions help them much more then those who fight to keep Djindjic's dream alive. Remember, it was not you NATO cowards that brought Milosevic down but us, on the streets. All you could do was to bomb our bridges, our roads, our electrical plants. The army was untouched. And the army pulled out only because you gave us your word: you will free Albanians from the tyrant but you will not erect yet another border within our country. If you wanted it, you should have done it eight years ago when Milosevic was still in power.

You broke your word you cowards, you liars, you hypocrites, and you made our job of staying on Djindjic's path much harder. Who do we trust now? After all, you are not what he thought you were!

Branislav, Belgrade, Serbia

The title of the article attracted my attention. After reading it my question "why should Serbia join EU?" is still left unaswered.
Because of free visa travel?

What will EU do for Serbian people, their everyday lives, their losses after wars, destruction of economy, and endless accusations? What else does Serbia have to sacrifice to be a memeber of EU? How much does "EU democracy" cost?
Will EU protect Serbian or EU interests in the Balkans?

Thank you dear EU friends!

G Butorac, Hong Kong, Hong Kong , SAR

Serbia is to blame on the destruction of Yugoslavia. They wanted Greater Serbia i think they fulfilled their dream didnt they. They will never ever rule Kosovo again. It was occupied for centuries and now its free from the worst regime of Europe.
Milosevic was the Second Hitler of Europe.
It was Kosovo who Put Milosevic Down from Power and now is Kosovo again with its Independence to put the second Milosevic (Voislav Kostunica) down of Power..
Serbia wake up its 21 century move on with your dream to join the Europe and forget your past of your occuption of Kosovo.

IT will be Kosovo again to issue the Visa for Serbia to join Europe. The only option Serbia has is to Accept the Kosovo independence. If they Accept the integration into EU they also must accept the Independence of Kosovo.

Here Serbia finaly 21 century is on Kosovars Side ...they decide for your Future. ;) Accept Kosovo = JOIN EU

CUFI, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo

An odd friendshaip with serbia that loads all the costs and humiliation of the Kosovo (and other) wars onto Serbia, and then professes friendship. A good cop bad cop reoutine perhaps? If they were friends to Serbia the Kosovo settlement would have included retaining the sliver north of the Ibar, some serious cash and credible (vs the current transparently bogus) guarantees for Kosovo's remaining minorities. Instead we have the winner-take-all territory grab, and ongoing ethnic cleansing of minorities, all coerced by the EU garrison. With regard to friends the proof of the puddings is in the eating, ie not fine words but practical backing.
One notices its always Serbia that is asked to give up this or that and then 'move on' - how would its interclutors react if it were suggested they give up some of their territory, to Serbia say, and then "move on"? Would they heck, to put it politely.

Alistair Fleming, London , UK

Some comments here may illustrate well the unfounded & irrational beliefs and attitudes of many Serbs (mostly living in the West already and shamelessly proposing to their compatriots in the homeland to continue to move on back to the Middle Ages), i.e., "Russia LOVES us, the West does not". Hello people, read Serbian history a little bit and learn what all that Russian love is about. Rooting for their own country to become a Russian satrapy is especially disgusting.
As for Kosovo: it was not lost in 1999, but much earlier, from 1982 onwards because of the policies of former Yugoslavia and later Serbia who did everything to alienate the Kosovo Albanians from any possibility of living together with the Serbs in the same country.
Zoran Djindjic was the last rational and visionary Serbian leader and it costed him his own life. Many Serbs respect and are proud of Djindjic and what he tried to change in the country and will show it today in the streets of Belgrade.

Ivana, Belgrade, Serbia

Ian Payne, tell that to all the Polish people that are here leeching as much money as possible from our country and sending it back to Poland, I doubt they would agree with you.

J Roberts, Manchester, UK

I think that EU should not extend the hand of cooperation to Serbia. This country is responsible for the death of hundred and thousand of poeple in the Western Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo), and destruction of a whole villages and cities. This country even today is refusing to hand-over criminals who are responsible for the masacres that happened just a few years ago. They are treated like Kings in Serbia's capital. What a shame for this nation! As a citizen of EU I strongly oppose Serbia's entry into EU. They do not deserve it, at least not until they apologize for the deaths and destruction they caused to their neighboring countries, i.e. Croatia, Bosnia and Kosova. Serbia is THE black hole in Europe's map and what EU should really do is isolate this country until they really understand that everything they did and are doing needs to change before they can join the block of democratic nations. If not, let them join Russia or China and destroy the future of their kids.

John Brown, Wien, Austria

After a massive betrayal of Serbia by the Europeans, their offer of E.U membership to a humiliated people to enable them a freer access and better economic oppertunities sounds like tokenism. Serbs must create a strong nation without the E><U membership crutch and always remain an adversery to these betrayers.
Vipin Shah
Nairobi

Vipin Shah, nairobi, Kenya

the serbian 'political elite' can recognise a gravy train just as fast as those already in the eu.

david c, purbeck,

Serbia has no reason to join the declining, indeed decaying EU. Russia has reosurces and respect for the international law -- even at times when it is not there purely for the promotion of one's own interests -- and Russian people has a deep love for the Serbs.

So much so that they went to the Great War over one Bosnian Serb teenager who had decided that the alleged "international supervision" of Austria-Huingary in nominally Ottoman Turkish Bosnia-Herzegovina was unfair and Serbophobic and had the heart to act upon his beliefs.

And will do so again.

Miodrag le Bien-Aimé, Nanning, China

If Serbia is going on this path the way is going, Kosova may joing the europian community before Serbia itself. If Kosova meant so much to Serbian people, why they let their regime to treat majority of Kosovars the way that only criminals treat their people. That is why Serbia doesn't deserve second chance on Kosova. With their friend nations around the world, Kosova will go forward faster than Serbia, because Serbs just doesn't get it, What else is new?

Pat Cline, Boston, usa

With "friends" like Bernard Kouchner and Carl Bildt Serbs don't need enemies. Allowing "independence" of a mono-ethnic, Muslim Albanian Kosovo EU countries along with their main heads in USA surpassed the international law and UN, without reaching a fair agreement with Serbia. Neither Serbs nor Serbia will ever accept this illegal orgy committed on their sovereign territory of Kosovo.

Bora, Belgrade,

serbia needs to embrace europe even if only to give the usa a bloody nose .the usa and russia both have agenda s for the region the usa wants to keep europe unstable for obvious reasons lets offer serbia full membership right now . and work from within on all the issues that are still bubbling .im sure serb history in kosovo will be destroyed and blind eyes will be turned .we all know what kosovo is lets not pretend that it is model for indepenence the eu does not want it yet but serbia proper is integral if only to keep russia out lets hope its not to late for europe to do the right thing

sam, high wycombe, uk

It is very interesting how these two sound like old fashion communists, "tune with march of history". The communists as well believed they are ones who know what march of history is, and we all know how that finished. Maybe Serbia will be first country who will democratically refuse to join EU, and that will be beginning of something new. Maybe that is why these two social engineers sound so reconciliatory, because that would be something so unexpected: the people of one small impoverished country refusing to give up national identity and to become "European consumers". That could be contagious!
Only when Serbs are allowed to exercise the same right the West gave to others in former Yugoslavia, then the dust will settle. Freedom for Republic of Srpska, freedom for Serbs in northern part of Kosovo, no matter how long it takes! We won’t give up, take close look at Serb history. Until then, it will be big NO to EU.

Milan S., from Belgrade,

Serbia, its time to move forward. Embrace Europe and human rights, treat your neighbours, as you wish to be treated.
Serbia, you can build a great relationship with Kosovo, all you have to do is accept the Kosovars as equals.

matt, Miami, FL

After 15 years Serbia’s destruction by western countries and final steeling Kosovo their holy land, it is time to FORGET dream called United Europa.
Project “Europe” is EMPTY BUBLE.

peter bidwell, vancouver, canada

The only reason the west wants Serbia in the EU is for their interests, not for Serbians to be able to travel easier. Serbia will never recognize an illegal kwazi state on its territory and a ticket to Europe is not worth giving up Kosovo. Kosovo is Serbia.

Nebojsa , Toronto , Canada

What's up with all the love toward Serbia from the EU
It's a shame the people no longer have courage

Why won't the EU tell Serbia you can only join th EU and receive
our Love if you join with out Kosovo otherwise we don't want you

Vasa

vasa dodenc, Ridgewood, New York

NEVER! EU is a black hole for all countries in Europe. We dont want and we dont need EU. I hope Serbian people will recognize that and that they will refuse to be blackmailed by those who dont respect them and just want to use them. EU is death of Europe....

Mark, Toronto,

Great speech...this gesture should have been extended 8 years ago. The inabilty of the US and the EU to help integrate a whole Serbia into the EU underscores the colossal failure of the Kosovo policy.

Jon Campbell, SC, USA

FOOLS !!! My wife's family in Poland thought the EU would be the answer to all their country's dreams - NOW they regret every minute of joining !!!

Ian Payne, WALSALL,