IOP Forum Hosts Serbian President

Speaking to a crowd that included Serbs, Kosovars, and members of the Harvard community, Serbian President Boris Tadic discussed the challenges of supporting democracy and resolving ethnic disputes in Southeastern Europe in an event last night at the Kennedy School of Government.

The ongoing debate over the future of Kosovo dominated Tadic’s speech and was the focus of questions he received from Kosovar members of the large crowd at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum.

Kosovo is a part of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose union of states, but it has been under the protection of a United Nations force since 1999, when fighting broke out between Serbian forces and pro-independence elements of the Albanian majority in Kosovo.

“We must not neglect the fact that the situation in Kosovo is much worse than any of us would like it to be,” Tadic said in his speech.

He referenced the “tragic reality” of life for the Serb minority in Kosovo, saying that they live under the “worst sort of tyranny of the majority,” but added that “the legitimate interest of Kosovar Albanians must be taken into account” during any negotiations.

When asked about the possibility of partitioning Kosovo, Tadic voiced strong opposition to the idea, saying that it was important for the region to unify, not splinter.

“I am against partition of Kosovo,” he said. “Kosovo is a part of Serbia-Montenegro.”

“I was born in Sarajevo in Bosnia...My father is from Montenegro,” he said. “I am not thinking only about Serbia.”

He voiced confidence that the process of resolving the Kosovo issue was moving forward.

“In the near future we intend to put forward concrete proposals in several areas [relating to Kosovo],” Tadic said.

Another focus of Tadic’s speech was the need for accountability and reconciliation after the bloody conflicts that marked the 1990s as the former Yugoslavia unravelled and was consumed by violence.

“Democracy cannot flourish without a full and accurate account of the past,” he said. “All those who committed crimes must be held accountable.”

“We did a lot of terrible things in Kosovo,” he acknowledged of his Serbian countrymen. “We have a responsibility to our children...to confront the past.”

Finally, Tadic called for stronger ties between Southeastern Europe, the European Union, and America.

“Foreign direct investment contributes to stability, without which there can be no prosperity,” he said.

He said that integration would make his country better able to fight terrorism and organized crime.

While readily acknowledging the challenges facing both Serbia and the surrounding regions, Tadic expressed hope that the situation could improve in Southeastern Europe.

“Are we up to the challenge? Can we create a region where children can be proud of their parents and parents can be proud of their children? I believe we can,” he said.

Tadic’s speech, entitled “Consolidating Democracy and the Future of Kosovo,” was presented jointly by The Institute of Politics and The Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and East-Central Europe.

-—Staff writer Evan H. Jacobs can be reached at ehjacobs@fas.harvard.edu.