Kosovo has confirmed it will attend the summit, which is being organised by the Spanish EU Presidency and will take place in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sejdiu said.
However, the country's participation appears to be uncertain, because Sejdiu said Pristina would not agree to sit behind a placard reading 'Kosovo/UNMIK'.
Belgrade says it will only attend international conferences at which Kosovo is represented under its UNMIK heading. The country was a UN protectorate before unilaterally declaring independence in February 2008 (EurActiv 08/03/10). A recent Western Balkans summit held in Brdo, Slovenia, was boycotted by Serbian President Boris Tadić due to the presence of Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Thaçi, who was received with the symbols of Kosovo statehood (EurActiv 22/03/10).
"We will only attend if the conditions of our participation are the same as for every other state. If every state is represented through a symbol of statehood we will participate […] It would not be acceptable to us if we were to participate with a badge saying 'Kosovo-UNMIK' or one bearing a reference to UN Resolution 1244, as Serbia wishes. Kosovo is an independent state and has been recognised by 67 countries. Serbia wishes to undo this progress," Sejdiu said.
Albanian Foreign Minister Ilir Meta recently told EurActiv that Serbia and Kosovo should sit at the same table in Sarajevo, leaving country names and flags behind (EurActiv 06/05/10).
The president of Kosovo lamented the fact that Serbia had challenged his country's independence, which was declared unilaterally on 17 February 2008 and seized the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague (EurActiv 01/12/09).
Sejdiu expressed optimism ahead of the ICJ's ruling, expected later this year.
"I am convinced that no law court can pass a sentence that goes against the will of a people. The arguments that we have put to the court are irrefutable. The arguments that our partners Germany, France, the UK and other states have put to the International Court of Law are arguments in favour of recognising Kosovo's independence," he said.
The status that Serbia is seeking for Kosovo through this process is that of a colony, Sejdiu further claimed, adding: "Serbia has a tendency to take a hegemonic position towards others."
Asked about corruption in Kosovo, including at the highest political level (EurActiv 12/05/10), Sejdiu said that as a lawyer by training, in the absence of "concrete proof" he could not pass judgement.
