Opinions | Editorials
How Europe can deal with Serbia
Threats must not be the basis of policy by either Belgrade or Brussels.
How Europe deals with Serbia will be a question that gains increasing prominence over the coming months. Dealing with the Kosovo issue is bound to strain ties as will the possible election to the Serbian presidency of an ally of the late autocrat Slobodan Milosevic.
Tomislav Nikolic of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party, which backed Milosevic during his Balkan war campaigns in the 1990s until the former president's ouster in 2000 in a popular uprising, is in pole position to beat President Boris Tadic, soft-spoken leader of the pro-Western Democratic Party.
Western nations are likely to shun Nikolic if he is elected, given his threats to sever ties with any capital that recognises Kosovo's independence if it breaks away.
But threat and counter-threat must not be the basis for policy by either Belgrade or Brussels. The Serb electorate has a clear choice but Brussels must keep lines of communication open to Belgrade.
Share this article
More from Editorials
More from Opinions
Popular in Opinions
-
Opinions
Speak Your Mind: Cyberbullying
How can we protect our children from being Cyber bullied?
Opinion Editor's choice
-
Spare a thought for workers
While most people are enjoying the Eid festivities, others are working on holidays
-
Relic returns to relevance
The once-derided Commonwealth is now wielding real influence in the changing landscape of global politics
-
India's familiar stance on climate change
The nation is determined to enforce carbon emission norms on its own terms


