mr president the international rush to recognise kosovo was in my view hard to understand
there were plenty of older disputes to resolve that were worthier of the eu's efforts kashmir for example or taiwan or even somaliland in the horn of africa
kosovo's declaration of independence has also exposed a schism amongst member states
there is no way kosovo can be part of the european union or the united nations while some member states do not recognise its sovereignty
the precedent of kosovo also provoked russia's indignation and recognition of the georgian regions of abkhazia and south ossetia as states last summer
the people of the various parts of former yugoslavia clearly have a right to live in peace and prosperity
we in the european union have a moral duty to help but this assistance should never be open-ended
we need to see real reform in kosovo genuine efforts to combat organised crime and people-trafficking and proper protection and equality for minorities such as the serbs
the commission and the council must remain vigilant and insistent on tangible progress
