"When NATO bombed Serbia in 1999, Aleksandar Vucic was Minister of Information, implementing censorship rules set by Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who would later be tried for war crimes."
In this waz begins the article of the British newspaper "The Guardian", talking about Kosovo and Serbia as well as about the dialogue between these two states.
Nearly two decades later, Vucic himself is the President of Serbia. Claiming that he has shed many of his previous nationalist views and departing from accusations of authoritarianism, he is now seen by the international community as a person who can sign an agreement that will ultimately lead to the reconciliation with Kosovo.Kosovo has been cut off from Serbia under international supervision after the NATO air campaign and declared the independence in 2008, but Serbia still considers Kosovo as its territory.
Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, in an interview with The Guardian in Belgrade this week, said he believes there is now a small window of hope that within a six-month or a one-year period will be possible to be signed an agreement.
"We are ready to discuss every single issue, we are ready to consider any single proposal that would imply a compromise solution." he said, but stressed that Serbia should be offered something in return to Serbia.
Kosovo has been recognized by more than 100 states, but there are still five EU countries that do not recognize it, mainly because they fear that recognizing Kosovo can create a precedent for their internal problems. Neither China, India nor Russia have recognized the state of Kosovo.
In Brussels, there is hope that an agreement could be reached that would pave the way for Kosovo to secure a country in the UN and that both countries move forward on the road to EU membership.
"The Guardian" writes that Vucic has boosted these expectations, but as a reward requires a package of benefits for Serbia.