Belgrade: KFOR stepped outside UNSCR 1244

Representatives of the Serbian government and the commander of the NATO-led forces in Kosovo, KFOR, have held another meeting. Goran Bogdanovic, Borislav Stefanovic and Erhard Buehler met on Thursday afternoon in the northern Kosovo town of Zubin Potok. They were also joined by the EU representative in Kosovo. Belgrade: KFOR stepped outside UNSCR 1244 Head of the Belgrade negotiating team in the dialogue with Pristina Borislav Stefanovic says the outcome of the talks with the KFOR commander today was "bad". The Serbian official accused the NATO-led force in the province of "going beyond its mandate". "It is clear that KFOR is stepping outside the boundaries of UN Resolution 1244," Stefanovic said while talking with residents of the village of Zupce. He arrived there after yet another meeting with KFOR Commander Erhard Buehler. Stefanovic added that "it seems that someone from the international community is trying to back Pristina's decisions". Stefanovic qualified the talks as long and difficult, and added that he and Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanovic are not satisfied with the outcome, and that they will continue with the talks on Friday. KFOR, said he, "affirmed the position in today's meeting that Pristina's demands are legitimate as far as they are concerned". Buehler, said Stefanovic, has "orders from his command to enforce decisions" of the Kosovo Albanian government - that is, to place their customs officials on the administrative line. "We find this unacceptable," Stefanovic told state broadcaster RTS. Earlier on Thursday, Buehler said that KFOR controls both Brnjak and Jarinje, that "for him there is only one police under one command", so that he "must back it and offer it assistance if that police ask him to do that". He also said that "perpetrators of the murder of a Rosu member and the burning of the Jarinje crossing must be held responsible". The situation in the province is described as "tense", while in Belgrade Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac told reporters that the Serbian Army was "in contact with KFOR". Earlier today, reports said the meeting in Zubin Potok was looking for solutions to the crisis which broke out late on Monday when the government in Pristina sent police units to take over administrative line checkpoints in the Serb-dominated north. Beta news agency said that there was no progress at the meeting. Last night, Bogdanovic and Stefanovic discussed the crisis whit Buehler at the Jarinje post to agree that KFOR should take control of it. "We have received guarantees that there will be no special Kosovo police units Rosu, that Albanians will not be at the crossings and that there would be no customs," Bogdanovic told Beta news agency. But Zubin Potok Mayor Slavisa Ristic said that beside KFOR, ethnic Albanian customs workers were at the Brnjak crossing, and that for this reason local Serbs today blocked the road in the village of Zupce. The ongoing crisis started when Pristina on Monday sent the Rosu unit of the KPS to take over the checkpoints, until that moment controlled by EULEX customs and Serb members of the KPS. Their goal was to enforce a decision to ban Serbian goods from entry, introduced as Serbia refuses to accept customs stamps with "state of Kosovo" symbols. Serbia accepts goods that come with the Kosovo/UNMIK stamps - the format under which Pristina joined the regional free trade organization CEFTA. Neither official Belgrade nor Serbs in the northern part of Kosovo recognize the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in February 2008. Erhard Buehler and Borislav Stefanovic (Tanjug)

Belgrade: KFOR stepped outside UNSCR 1244

Head of the Belgrade negotiating team in the dialogue with Priština Borislav Stefanović says the outcome of the talks with the KFOR commander today was "bad".

The Serbian official accused the NATO-led force in the province of "going beyond its mandate".

"It is clear that KFOR is stepping outside the boundaries of UN Resolution 1244," Stefanović said while talking with residents of the village of Zupče.

He arrived there after yet another meeting with KFOR Commander Erhard Buehler.

Stefanović added that "it seems that someone from the international community is trying to back Priština's decisions".

Stefanović qualified the talks as long and difficult, and added that he and Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanović are not satisfied with the outcome, and that they will continue with the talks on Friday.

KFOR, said he, "affirmed the position in today's meeting that Priština's demands are legitimate as far as they are concerned".

Buehler, said Stefanović, has "orders from his command to enforce decisions" of the Kosovo Albanian government - that is, to place their customs officials on the administrative line.

"We find this unacceptable," Stefanović told state broadcaster RTS.

Earlier on Thursday, Buehler said that KFOR controls both Brnjak and Jarinje, that "for him there is only one police under one command", so that he "must back it and offer it assistance if that police ask him to do that".

He also said that "perpetrators of the murder of a Rosu member and the burning of the Jarinje crossing must be held responsible".

The situation in the province is described as "tense", while in Belgrade Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac told reporters that the Serbian Army was "in contact with KFOR".

Earlier today, reports said the meeting in Zubin Potok was looking for solutions to the crisis which broke out late on Monday when the government in Priština sent police units to take over administrative line checkpoints in the Serb-dominated north.

Beta news agency said that there was no progress at the meeting.

Last night, Bogdanović and Stefanović discussed the crisis whit Buehler at the Jarinje post to agree that KFOR should take control of it.

"We have received guarantees that there will be no special Kosovo police units Rosu, that Albanians will not be at the crossings and that there would be no customs," Bogdanović told Beta news agency.

But Zubin Potok Mayor Slaviša Ristić said that beside KFOR, ethnic Albanian customs workers were at the Brnjak crossing, and that for this reason local Serbs today blocked the road in the village of Zupče.

The ongoing crisis started when Priština on Monday sent the Rosu unit of the KPS to take over the checkpoints, until that moment controlled by EULEX customs and Serb members of the KPS.

Their goal was to enforce a decision to ban Serbian goods from entry, introduced as Serbia refuses to accept customs stamps with "state of Kosovo" symbols.

Serbia accepts goods that come with the Kosovo/UNMIK stamps - the format under which Priština joined the regional free trade organization CEFTA.

Neither official Belgrade nor Serbs in the northern part of Kosovo recognize the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in February 2008.