Former President Equates EU Plan to Recognition of Kosovo

Boris Tadic (BETAPHOTO/Milan Obradovic)

While signing the Franco-German plan may not involve formal recognition of Kosovo’s independence, it would unquestionably convey Serbia’s official acceptance that Kosovo’s autonomy is a political reality, former Serbian President Boris Tadic told the March 1 edition of the Danas daily.

The Social Democratic Party leader, who once helmed the country for two consecutive terms, claimed that current President Aleksandar Vucic “simply avoided mentioning” certain key aspects of the negotiations he led in Brussels with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Feb. 27.

“[Vucic] insists that the implementation of the plan has yet to be discussed, so as to convince the public that nothing significant took place [in Brussels]. What he hasn’t said is that he and Kurti accepted the content of the plan as is. [Vucic] is attempting to confuse the public and thereby lead the citizens [of Serbia] ‘into cold water’,” Tadic stated, alluding to the so-called ‘boiling frog strategy’ for eliciting gradual acquiescence.

Tadic maintained that it is “tragic” that the regime is using the Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo as a precondition for accepting the EU’s plan, “thereby creating the illusion that [the Serbian] side is gaining something” from the negotiations.

According to him, if the Franco-German proposal is implemented, Serbia should not expect “a future of donations and resolved issues, but rather one of national frustration and even greater danger of conflict.”