Dacic: Three red lines for Serbia regarding Kosovo-Metohija situation

BUDAPEST - Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday in Budapest there were three red lines for Serbia when it comes to the situation in Kosovo-Metohija.

"The first is that everything that has been signed must be implemented, the second is that we cannot recognise Kosovo-Metohija as independent and agree to Kosovo becoming an EU member because we have not had any political discussion about the essence of the problems and about our mutual relations. We have not conducted dialogue about reaching a solution by political means, and now someone wants to impose the idea of Serbia having to do something, to recognise Kosovo in order to join the EU," Dacic said in response to a Tanjug query about Serbia's next step following a KFOR decision to deny Belgrade's request for a return of Serbian security forces to Kosovo-Metohija.

He said safety of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs was the third red line.

"If KFOR and the Kosovo police do not want to protect them, do not lead us into a situation where the Serbian police and army must ensure that in Kosovo-Metohija. It is something we would not want. We want peace and implementation of international agreements," Dacic said.

He said requests by his foreign counterparts for Serbia to take a stand on Ukraine and on the Russia sanctions were unacceptable because they did not want to discuss a resolution of the Kosovo issue.

"Who has the moral right to request that Serbia give up on its territorial integrity, without showing the minimum understanding for our problems?" Dacic asked.

There are no principles there, but only interests of big powers, he noted.

"Serbia's interest is to maintain peace and reach an acceptable solution for Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija," Dacic said.