/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Portugal’s Foreign Minister Luis Amado said his country would withhold judgment on Kosovo to see “when and how independence will be declared”, but called for a “common” EU stance on the issue, French media reported.
Formally a part of Serbia, the province has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO bombing halted a Serbian crackdown on its ethnic Albanian majority.
Serbia has offered Kosovo broad autonomy but insists it remain part of Serbian territory. Meanwhile Kosovans are preparing to proclaim independence.
Russia stated it will support the decision acceptable for both Belgrade and Pristina.
Croatia, Bosnia Cautious On Kosovo Independence, AFP
SARAJEVO (AFP)–Former Yugoslav republics Croatia and Bosnia will react cautiously to Kosovo’s imminent declaration of independence from Serbia, their foreign ministers said Wednesday.
“Croatia is a candidate country engaged in membership talks (with the European Union) and we will follow the European Union policy” on Kosovo, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic told journalists here.
Zagreb is “closely monitoring the situation in Kosovo and we are interested in a development that will bring stability to the region,” he said.
His Bosnian counterpart Sven Alkalaj said Sarajevo would “not (rush to) announce its attitude” towards Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence.
“Taking into account the complex situation within Bosnia-Herzegovina, we will maybe be among that last countries” to recognize Kosovo’s independence, Alkalaj said.
Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians are expected to make a unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday or Monday. The move is backed by the U.S. and most of the E.U.’s 27 member nations, though it is strongly opposed by Serbia and its traditional ally Russia.
Kosovo has been run by the U.N. since mid-1999, after a North Atlantic Treaty Organization air assault drove out Serbian forces waging a brutal crackdown on Albanians.
Bosnia has consisted of two highly autonomous entities since its 1992-1995 war - the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Serbs’ Republika Srpska. All three communities must agree on foreign policy decisions, giving Republika Srpska the ability to block Bosnia’s recognition of Kosovo, which most Serbs consider their medieval heartland.
Many Serbs feel Bosnia’s borders should be allowed to change if Kosovo becomes independent. Some top local politicians have hinted the Bosnian Serb government could follow the province’s example, should Kosovo declare self-rule.
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