US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after meeting Serbian President Boris Tadic in Belgrade on Tuesday that the UN General Assembly's September 9 resolution on Kosovo was the foundation of important Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and that the US was willing to work together with Serbia on a better future for the Balkans.
That dialogue would be useful to the people of Kosovo and of Serbia if it focused on everyday challenges and long term relations between the two countries. That could also have a positive effect on US-Serbia relations, Clinton said at a joint news conference with Tadic.
She thanked Serbia for the strong cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal, saying it was especially important that Tadic told her that meeting commitments towards the tribunal was high on the list of Serbia's priorities.
Clinton called for the protection of the human rights of all citizens in Serbia and praised the courage of the police who secured last Sunday's Gay Pride parade in Belgrade.
We believe in Serbia's big potential and are completely convinced that Serbia can become not only a European Union member, but also a leader and an example in Europe, Clinton said, adding the US was committed to working with Serbia to help it build a better future for itself, its people and the region.
Tadic said Serbia was building its partnership with the US on new foundations after many years of misunderstandings.
He said Serbia would meet its commitments to the Hague tribunal and arrest the remaining fugitives for its own sake and not the tribunal's or the international community's.
