By Saleh Bahman
(with photos) KUWAIT, Feb 16 (KUNA) -- Bosnia-Herzegovina is not going to recognize an independent state of Kosovo for the time being, Bosnian Ambassador in Kuwait Jasin Ravasde said here Saturday.
But, Sarajevo will have humanitarian, cultural and economic ties with this entity, which plans to declare its independence on Sunday, Ravasde exclusively told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has vowed to protect the rights of all minorities as the province prepares to declare independence from Serbia.
The declaration is widely expected on Sunday, but Thaci refused to set a date at a news conference in Pristina.
"What is going on now is to legitimize the fait accompli, especially as it (Kosovo) has a government, parliament and official agencies," the ambassador added.
Kosovo has been under UN protection since the summer of 1999, Ravasde noted.
Asked about his expectation of Gulf recognition of an independent Kosovo, he said, "A decision to recognize other countries is a sovereign one as every country has its own decision which it can take in line with its regional and international interests and circumstances." But, he expected that the EU would fail to take a unanimous position on the recognition of Kosovo due to reservations by some of its members about an independent Kosovo.
Trying to belittle a potential international recognition of Kosovo, he said, "The important thing does not lie in the size and number of countries that will recognize Kosovo. Rather, such a question should not be let to lead to conflicts in the region." "Bosnia-Herzegovina wishes to see stability in the region without any security complications or repercussions that could affect other countries," he said.
Therefore, he maintained, such a matter needs to be tackled through political wisdom and diplomatic means, with the interests of everyone and regional and European security to be necessarily taken into account.
However, he predicted that Kosovo's independence could spark indirect ramifications, including a looming political tension between Serbia and Kosovo.
Asked about potential Serbian reaction, Ravasde said, "Bosnia-Herzegovina sees that Serbia is an important state in the region. It is a responsible state that cannot take an unconsidered step towards the issue of Kosovo that could have serious impacts on the region." "The issue is thorny and complicated. However, it turns out to be simple if all parties concerned have good intentions," the Bosnian ambassador said.
He emphasized that Serbia-Kosovo relations should be re-organized in line with fresh givings, with the rights of all parties to be respected. "But, due to the sensitive situation, we see that a consensus solution had to be reached.
" In this context, he rapped the European Union (EU) for having failed to find an early settlement to the issue of Kosovo within the framework of an integrated series of solutions to regional problems.
In this context, he recalled to memory a call by former Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic during a meeting with European and US officials for a post-Balkan war coexistence as part of efforts for rebuilding, rearranging and normalizing Bosnia's relations with neighboring counties.
Ten years ago, Silajdzic presented a bold proposal to the EU, asking it to accept all Balkan countries as members in one stroke with the goal of wiping out all national, racial, sovereign and social problems, he said.
Had the Kosovo issue been resolved within the EU framework, the NATO would not have needed to intervene militarily, he lamented.
The US and most EU states are preparing to recognize Kosovo quickly, but Serbia and Russia strongly oppose the move.
Serbia has threatened to use diplomatic and economic measures against Kosovo, though it has ruled out using force.
Separately, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned on Friday it would have to "take into account" any declaration of independence by Kosovo with regard to its relations with Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow has previously hinted that it could recognize the regions, if the West recognizes Kosovo. (end) sb.mt KUNA 160902 Feb 08NNNN