The European Union's president, Herman Van Rompuy, decided today not to attend a Balkan summit due to open in Ljubljana on Saturday after Serbia decided to boycott the talks, according to dpa. "I welcome all initiatives promoting regional cooperation in the Western Balkans including the conference to be held in Brdo, Slovenia tomorrow," Van Rompuy said in a statement released in Brussels on Friday. The EU official made no mention of his presence at the Brdo talks, saying only that he plans "to visit the (Western Balkans) region as soon as possible." Balkan media had speculated that Van Rompuy would only attend the event if all countries in the region took part. But Serbia decided to skip the meeting in protest at the presence of Kosovo, its former province whose independence it has vowed to never recognize. Organizers of the event had hoped that the EU would send a top-level representation, with Van Rompuy expected to attend along with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and the EU's enlargement commissioner, Stefan Fule. Fule's is the only confirmed Western presence. The Slovenian Prime Minister, Borut Pahor, said Friday the conference would go ahead in any case. "The conference will take place regardless who participates," Pahor told reporters in Ljubljana.
