Serbia will probably not be able to join the European Union unless the Kosovo issue is resolved first, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told Belgrade's Vecernje Novosti of Friday, adding he saw Serbia and Kosovo in the EU together.
"There are no special prerequisites for Serbia to join the EU, but I don't believe that it will be possible with Kosovo as a problem within Serbia," Kouchner was quoted as saying.
Asked if he saw Serbia and Kosovo in the EU together, he said, "One day, yes," voicing hope they would be able to attend an upcoming conference on the Western Balkans in Sarajevo.
Speaking of the possibility of finding a solution so that Belgrade and Pristina could attend international conferences, Kouchner said he advocated progress and recalled that this was a delicate issue.
He called on Serbia and Kosovo to talk, saying he had never advised Belgrade to drop a lawsuit over the legality of Kosovo's unilateral proclamation of independence at the International Court of Justice, the newspaper said.
"I never sent such messages. Serbia is a free country," he said, adding the court's decision on the matter could not affect the EU's decision on granting Serbia accession candidate status as the two issues were unrelated.
