Romania wants Kosovo to remain part of Serbia

Associated Press, Jun 23, 2005 2:08 PM

BUCHAREST, Romania-Romania wants the disputed Kosovo province to remain within the borders of Serbia, Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu said Thursday.

Ungureanu pledged to help find a solution for Kosovo after meeting with Serbia's president, Boris Tadic, who is on a two-day visit to the neighboring country.

Tadic also met with Romania's president, Traian Basescu, with whom he discussed bilateral ties. During the meeting, Tadic reaffirmed his plans to participate in the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the massacre of about 8,000 boys and men by Serb forces in the Bosnian province of Srebrenica.

"This crime has its regional importance because there were also many crimes against my people, too," he said, adding that he hoped the Balkans would end "this vicious circle" and become a truly European region.

Romania's President Traian Basescu hailed Tadic's decision to go to Srebrenica as "extraordinary."

The Srebrenica massacre is considered to be Europe's single worst war crime since World War II. The U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, has indicted former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic as well as several wartime Bosnian Serb political leaders and army commanders in connection with the massacre.

The commemoration is scheduled for July 11.

Tadic also met with Senate Chairman Nicolae Vacaroiu, who called for more rights for the Romanian minority in Serbia.

He will travel Friday to the western city of Timisoara where he will attend a business forum. Many Serbs live in the region, which is close to the border with Serbia.