A chance for Serbia

The decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the legality of Kosovo's independence gives Serbia a chance to put the past behind it, writes the business paper Hospodářské noviny: "Even if they officially maintain the opposite, Serbian politicians have been saying under their breath for years now that Kosovo is lost to Belgrade. ... The Serbians want to join the EU, and that should considerably temper their reaction to the judgement from The Hague. The Serbs have become a lot more pragmatic since the end of Milošević nationalism. Even right after the declaration of independence the majority was saying that Kosovo was far less interesting than the economic situation of one's own family and country. As of yesterday Serbian politicians now have an alibi: we did what we could. The judgement in The Hague must not be interpreted as a defeat for Belgrade, but as a chance to close one chapter and open another, more optimistic one."

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