Official confirms electricity bills won’t be discussed

Serbian Ministry for Kosovo State Secretary Oliver Ivanovic confirmed Saturday electricity debts would not be a topic in the Belgrade-Pristina talks. “Payment of electricity bills in northern Kosovo to Kosovo Electricity Corporation (KEK) or the Pristina (interim) government will not be a topic of the talks,” he told Tanjug. Official confirms electricity bills won’t be discussed Ivanovic specified that energy could be a topic of talks but that the Kosovo government needed to understand that the Electric Power Company of Serbia (EPS) was KEK's partner, that EPS delivered electricity to northern Kosovo and that only EPS could charge the bills. He assessed that opening of a topic generally known as unacceptable for Belgrade can only imply that Pristina intends to obstruct the talks in Brussels on July 20. Ivanovic said that electricity bills in northern Kosovo were paid to EPS and that this point would not change. He believes that head of Pristina's negotiating team in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Edita Tahiri and the Pristina government should first consider the degree to which they could charge electricity bills in Kosovo which, according to Ivanovic, totals 40 percent. The state secretary added that Serbs do not constitute a problem because the degree of electricity bill payment by Serbs in Gracanica, Strpce and other parts of central Kosovo-Metohija amounts to 90 percent. Earlier on Saturday, head of Belgrade's negotiating team in the Belgrade-Pristina talks Borislav Stefanovic denied that the forthcoming round of talks in Brussels would cover electricity debts of northern Kosovo citizens. Tahiri told Pristina-based Albanian language daily that she would call on the Serbian government to pay the bills for electricity which KEK had delivered to citizens of northern Kosovo, populated mostly by Serbs. Oliver Ivanovic (Tanjug, file)

Official confirms electricity bills won’t be discussed

Ivanović specified that energy could be a topic of talks but that the Kosovo government needed to understand that the Electric Power Company of Serbia (EPS) was KEK's partner, that EPS delivered electricity to northern Kosovo and that only EPS could charge the bills.

He assessed that opening of a topic generally known as unacceptable for Belgrade can only imply that Priština intends to obstruct the talks in Brussels on July 20.

Ivanović said that electricity bills in northern Kosovo were paid to EPS and that this point would not change.

He believes that head of Priština's negotiating team in the Belgrade-Priština dialogue Edita Tahiri and the Priština government should first consider the degree to which they could charge electricity bills in Kosovo which, according to Ivanović, totals 40 percent.

The state secretary added that Serbs do not constitute a problem because the degree of electricity bill payment by Serbs in Gračanica, Štrpce and other parts of central Kosovo-Metohija amounts to 90 percent.

Earlier on Saturday, head of Belgrade's negotiating team in the Belgrade-Priština talks Borislav Stefanović denied that the forthcoming round of talks in Brussels would cover electricity debts of northern Kosovo citizens.

Tahiri told Priština-based Albanian language daily that she would call on the Serbian government to pay the bills for electricity which KEK had delivered to citizens of northern Kosovo, populated mostly by Serbs.