Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic said on July 20 2008 that he would ask the cabinet to reinstate Serbian ambassadors to the capitals of European Union member states that recognised Kosovo as independent. The announcement came after Jeremic met with Serbian president Boris Tadic to discuss the matter at the weekend.

The ambassadors were recalled “for consultations” following the recognition of Kosovo, but would now return in order to “enhance Serbia's diplomatic resources and efforts so that it could obtain the EU candidate status by the end of the year,” Jeremic said in a statement posted on the Serbian government's website.

The cabinet would hear the proposal at its next meeting and should it approve it, the ambassadors would return immediately.

Jeremic's proposition comes two weeks after Serbia’s new pro-Western government, sworn in on July 7, placed European integration on top of its priorities, although at the same time maintaining Belgrade’s rejection of Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Jeremic also said that talks between Serbia and the United Nations on the international civilian presence in Kosovo would start this week.

“The plan of Martti Ahtisaari does not exist and no mission in Kosovo can implement that plan, which Serbia rejected, and it cannot be the basis for the presence of the EU mission,” he said, adding that on July 21 he would send a request to the head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Lambert Zannier, to begin negotiations since he was authorised to lead them by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

“Belgrade appreciates EU’s willingness to assume an important role in the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, but that cannot happen without the approval of Serbia and the UN Security Council,” Jeremic said.