Dacic: I told Chollet no one in Serbia would accept independence of Kosovo

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Friday he had told US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet no one in Serbia would accept an independence of Kosovo and that President Aleksandar Vucic was a key guarantor of peace and stability in the region, Serbia and Kosovo-Metohija.

Speaking to Prva TV, Dacic said Serbia was ready for dialogue but that the red lines were clearly defined.

The red lines are that there will be no new negotiations about a Community of Serb Municipalities, that Serbia is not willing to recognise Kosovo as independent indirectly or directly, and that Serbia will not allow another pogrom of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and that KFOR is under an obligation to guarantee security, he said.

"It is a positive thing when you hear a senior US official say that a Community of Serb Municipalities is Pristina's obligation," he said of the meeting with Chollet.

When asked if the US was capable of toppling Pristina PM Albin Kurti's government, Dacic responded:

"What is it that the Americans cannot do?"

He said statements by US officials suggested there was a desire in Washington for a Community of Serb Municipalities to be formed.

"If the West wants to influence Pristina, it has the mechanisms to do that. They are the ones who have created Pristina," Dacic said.

He reiterated that the so-called Kosovo was not an internationally recognised state and that, following a further nine derecognitions, the number of countries that recognised it had declined to 84 out of 194 UN member states.

"Realistically, they are far from becoming a state. Before our action, there were over 110 countries that recognised Kosovo. Serbia is a factor a political solution must be discussed with. The international community needs to worry about whether Pristina will implement that," he said.

Speaking about a French-German proposal for resolving the Kosovo-Metohija issue, Dacic noted the significance of absolute unity of the Serbian side when it comes to argumentation and approach.

"There will be no new negotiations about what has been agreed, or about the Community of Serb Municipalities. There is no recognition of Kosovo-Metohija or consent to UN membership. Safety of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs must be guaranteed," he said, adding that Kurti was the main obstacle to regional peace and stability.