Cooperate with EULEX, minister tells Serbs readying for demo

Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic has called on the administration in Serb municipalities in north Kosovo to cooperate with the EULEX mission He reminded that the Serbian government gave EULEX the go-ahead to deploy in Kosovo last year. Cooperate with EULEX, minister tells Serbs readying for demo Bogdanovic met in Leposavic with the municipal administration to discuss the fact that Serbs in north Kosovo will be holding a protest on Tuesday over the EU mission's decision to begin charging customs fees at the administrative crossings in Jarinje and Brnjak. “It is impossible for the Serbian government to make a decision, and for the local self-administration in the north to make another. That is unacceptable and that leads to even grater confusion, problems and frustration for all Serbs in Kosovo. I told the local leaders in Leposavic said we must talk with EULEX and try to solve the problem with them,” Bogdanovic said. He further stated that the government has not reached an agreement or signed anything with EULEX regarding the establishment of customs at the two checkpoints. “Unilateral moves by EULEX are unacceptable,” Bogdanovic was quoted as saying. He also called on Serbs to be peaceful and dignified during tomorrow's protest. The minister repeated what he described as “the Republic of Serbia’s firm decision to never recognize Kosovo's independence”, adding that Belgrade wants dialogue and not violence when solving problems in Kosovo. According to Bogdanovic, former UN envoy in Kosovo negotiations Martti Ahtisaari is not welcome by the Kosovo Serbs. He said Ahtisaari's announced visit "on Kosovo’s Constitution Day" could "further deepen the mistrust between Serbs and Albanians". Serbs unmoved Serbs from the north of Kosovo will block the administrative crossings Brnjak and Jarinje for one hour on Tuesday in order to express their dissatisfaction with the reintroduction of the customs control in the province's north. The Kosovo Serbs will proceed with their plan despite today's appeal by Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanovic to the local leadership in the north of Kosovo to cooperate with EULEX, recalling that the government had approved the deployment of the EU mission in Kosovo. Zvecan Assembly President Dobrosav Dobric told Tanjug that the protesters demand EULEX to immediately stop their activities on collecting duties at the Jarinje crossing, near Leposavic, and Brnjak, near Zubin Potok. “We also demand that an agreement is reached urgently with representative of international community and the Serbian government on ways of taxation in keeping with UN Security Council Resolution 1244,” said Dobric. He said that unless their demands are met, protests will be made more radical and will last more than one hour. In regards to Bogdanovic's appeal to the Serbs to cooperate with EULEX, Dobric underscored that those protests are justified and legitimate, and that representatives of the municipalities of Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Kosovska Mitrovica are open to cooperation and negotiation. EULEX representatives started implementing additional measures at the administrative crossings in the north of Kosovo in early May by making copies of IDs, which they described as traffic control.

Cooperate with EULEX, minister tells Serbs readying for demo

Bogdanović met in Leposavić with the municipal administration to discuss the fact that Serbs in north Kosovo will be holding a protest on Tuesday over the EU mission's decision to begin charging customs fees at the administrative crossings in Jarinje and Brnjak.

“It is impossible for the Serbian government to make a decision, and for the local self-administration in the north to make another. That is unacceptable and that leads to even grater confusion, problems and frustration for all Serbs in Kosovo. I told the local leaders in Leposavić said we must talk with EULEX and try to solve the problem with them,” Bogdanović said.

He further stated that the government has not reached an agreement or signed anything with EULEX regarding the establishment of customs at the two checkpoints.

“Unilateral moves by EULEX are unacceptable,” Bogdanović was quoted as saying. He also called on Serbs to be peaceful and dignified during tomorrow's protest.

The minister repeated what he described as “the Republic of Serbia’s firm decision to never recognize Kosovo's independence”, adding that Belgrade wants dialogue and not violence when solving problems in Kosovo.

According to Bogdanović, former UN envoy in Kosovo negotiations Martti Ahtisaari is not welcome by the Kosovo Serbs. He said Ahtisaari's announced visit "on Kosovo’s Constitution Day" could "further deepen the mistrust between Serbs and Albanians".

Serbs unmoved

Serbs from the north of Kosovo will block the administrative crossings Brnjak and Jarinje for one hour on Tuesday in order to express their dissatisfaction with the reintroduction of the customs control in the province's north.

The Kosovo Serbs will proceed with their plan despite today's appeal by Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanović to the local leadership in the north of Kosovo to cooperate with EULEX, recalling that the government had approved the deployment of the EU mission in Kosovo.

Zvečan Assembly President Dobrosav Dobrić told Tanjug that the protesters demand EULEX to immediately stop their activities on collecting duties at the Jarinje crossing, near Leposavić, and Brnjak, near Zubin Potok.

“We also demand that an agreement is reached urgently with representative of international community and the Serbian government on ways of taxation in keeping with UN Security Council Resolution 1244,” said Dobrić.

He said that unless their demands are met, protests will be made more radical and will last more than one hour.

In regards to Bogdanović's appeal to the Serbs to cooperate with EULEX, Dobrić underscored that those protests are justified and legitimate, and that representatives of the municipalities of Leposavić, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Kosovska Mitrovica are open to cooperation and negotiation.

EULEX representatives started implementing additional measures at the administrative crossings in the north of Kosovo in early May by making copies of IDs, which they described as traffic control.