BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia's opposition parties stepped up pressure on the pro-Western government Monday, demanding an emergency parliament session to define state policies after the World Court rules on Kosovo's independence this week.
The Netherlands-based court will issue a nonbinding but politically important opinion Thursday on whether Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia was legal.
Serbia hasn’t given up its claim to Kosovo, although it lost control over the its former province after a war. The U.S. and most EU nations support Kosovo’s statehood, while Russia has sided with Belgrade in the dispute.
Serbian President Boris Tadic said Sunday that Belgrade will seek to initiate talks on Kosovo after the World Court ruling. Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leadership has rejected such a possibility.
Opposition Liberal Democratic Party said the parliament should hammer out policies on Kosovo to avoid "abuse of emotion … that led to the loss of human lives in the past."
The party also warned the dispute over Kosovo could jeopardize ties with Washington and the European Union, which Serbia one day seeks to join.
"The situation is too serious," it said. "Serbia’s behavior after Thursday could permanently determine the political and economic future of the country and the region."
Also Monday, nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia criticized government’s alleged lack of strategy. The party said "it is totally unacceptable for the government to treat a breakaway part of its territory in such a manner."
Nationalists have advocated tougher policies on Kosovo, including dropping Serbia’s EU bid over the issue.
The war in Kosovo erupted in 1998 when Serbia launched a brutal crackdown against the separatists there. NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999 to end the war, forcing Belgrade to relinquish control over the region.
