US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill on Wednesday said he hopes Serbia will hold the EuroPride Parade on Saturday and overcome its problems as people in every democracy have the right to assemble freely.
“I expect that it will be resolved and then everyone will be able to feel proud that Serbia has resolved the issue. There is no other way but forward and I am sure that Serbia will manage to do it,” said Hill in an interview for the Beta agency.
He added that it is not only about Pride Week, but also about the future and greater tolerance in society.
“A lot of people came from Europe, Europe is watching Serbia. I know that these are deep social issues. Believe me, this was not an easy process in the US either,” said Hill.
Speaking about the rally where activists booed Prime Minister Ana Brnabić in protest, just hours after the walkout was banned, Hill said she showed strength and courage by coming out to speak in front of people who did not support her.
“As PM, she signed a document supporting the holding of EuroPride in Belgrade. Many prime ministers would have done it, but not all. I’m not sure that Pride Week would have been held without her, Serbs should be proud of that,” said Hill.
The ambassador welcomed the holding of the session of the Serbian parliament with the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on the agenda, and stated that he was convinced that progress would be seen at the end of the dialogue, with every side gaining something.
Unfortunately, President Aleksander Vucic used the occassion to reiterate that direct or even indirect recognition of Kosovo would never be on the agenda.
He has pointed out that there were many models in Europe that were similar to the Association of Serb Municipalities, and that Serbia and Kosovo might be unique, but that their problem was not.
This will be an unpopular comment for Kosovo who claim that the creation of a soverign and autonomous entity within Kosovo but de facto under the control of Belgrade is unconstitutional and has failed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“It is appropriate for Europeans to be included because they know these models well,” Hill told Beta.
Asked about whether Pristina was willing to implement the decision about the Association of Serb Municipalities, he replied that there would eventually “be some kind of agreement” and that all the involved knew that it had to be reached in a way in which all sides gain something. (EURACTIV.rs | betabriefing.com)
