“Kosovo Ministry role to change”

State Secretary in the Kosovo Ministry Oliver Ivanovic says that the ministry will no longer create policy for Kosovo. "The new ministry for Kosovo has changed its concept. The bottom line is that we will be spending much more time on the ground. We are equipping our offices in Kosovska Mitrovica, Gracanica and other places where Serbs make up the majority population,” Ivanovic told Belgrade daily Danas. “Kosovo Ministry role to change” He said that Kosovo locals would be hired, because it would be better if the specific problems Kosovo Serbs were facing were solved by those who were most familiar with them. Ivanovic added that representatives for the municipality assemblies had been elected, and that the ministry, minister and government would no longer decide on the identity of the coordinator or municipal speaker. He said that the strategy for the return of Serbs driven from Kosovo would be discussed with UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier. "We will talk to the UN representatives and representatives of the international mission in Kosovo. At this stage, it is hard to imagine that we will talk to the representatives of the temporary Kosovo institutions, even though I do not dispute that it is easer for us to talk to Serbs working in the Returns Ministry than to have Albanians working there. We are obliged by the Serbian government’s principled position that no contact can be made with the representatives of the temporary institutions,” Ivanovic stressed. The state secretary said that it would be very hard to proceed with the return strategy without Pristina’s participation. "Although I also thought back in 1999 and 2000 that the Kosovo Albanians could be bypassed in the process, I now see that I was mistaken. Now our problem is even harder because the Kosovo Albanians’ institutions have strengthened, and they have complete jurisdiction,” he lamented. Oliver Ivanovic (Beta, archive)

“Kosovo Ministry role to change”

He said that Kosovo locals would be hired, because it would be better if the specific problems Kosovo Serbs were facing were solved by those who were most familiar with them.

Ivanović added that representatives for the municipality assemblies had been elected, and that the ministry, minister and government would no longer decide on the identity of the coordinator or municipal speaker.

He said that the strategy for the return of Serbs driven from Kosovo would be discussed with UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier.

"We will talk to the UN representatives and representatives of the international mission in Kosovo. At this stage, it is hard to imagine that we will talk to the representatives of the temporary Kosovo institutions, even though I do not dispute that it is easer for us to talk to Serbs working in the Returns Ministry than to have Albanians working there. We are obliged by the Serbian government’s principled position that no contact can be made with the representatives of the temporary institutions,” Ivanović stressed.

The state secretary said that it would be very hard to proceed with the return strategy without Priština’s participation.

"Although I also thought back in 1999 and 2000 that the Kosovo Albanians could be bypassed in the process, I now see that I was mistaken. Now our problem is even harder because the Kosovo Albanians’ institutions have strengthened, and they have complete jurisdiction,” he lamented.