“Decision on elections in Kosovo to be made soon”

Kosovo District Head Goran Arsic says that it will be known in about ten days whether local elections will be held in Kosovo. He told KiM Radio that the Serbian president and the parliament speaker had an obligation according to the Constitution to call the elections in the entire territory of the state. “Decision on elections in Kosovo to be made soon” Arsic added, however, that the international community’s consent was necessary in order to hold the local elections in Kosovo. “We are obligated by the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, so aside from the good will of representatives of the Republic of Serbia, the decision on holding of the local election in Kosovo and Metohija will be made in agreement with the international community,” he explained. According to him, the parliamentary elections will most certainly be held in Kosovo. He assessed that the local elections were important for the survival of the Serbian community in Kosovo but that the Serbs had to be aware of the circumstances they lived in and the fact that local elections had not been organized in Kosovo before 2008. “We had coordinators who were in contact with Belgrade and local self-governments were functioning normally, so they will do this type of work,” Arsic said, According to him, this means that the Serbian institutions will not be shut down, despite numerous claims. “Everybody will keep their jobs. The fact that the (Serbian) Ministry for Kosovo has received RSD 100mn more compared to the last year’s budget supports that, which is another proof that Serbia is not giving up on Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija and its institutions,” he noted. Commenting on the situation in northern Kosovo, he said that the part of the province was now in a much better position than the territory south of the Ibar River, since the only remaining self-governments were present in the north which meant better chances of holding the elections. “There is a possibility that the local elections will be held in the north. The international community can give some kind of consent because the institutions in the north are the only ones while we have both Kosovo and Serbian ones south of the Ibar River,” Arsic stressed. Commenting on a Tuesday meeting between Serbian parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and representatives of the local-self governments from northern Kosovo, he said that such meetings with representatives of the local-self governments south of the Ibar River were not necessary. “Serbia will never renounce Kosovo and therefore there is no need for them to cause additional problems for our representatives aside from numerous pressures from the international community,” the Kosovo district head pointed out. Kosovsko Pomoravlje District Head Dragan Nikolic said earlier that the local elections organized by Serbia should be held in the entire Kosovo and that the Serbs should not be divided into those living north and those living south of the Ibar River. Djukic-Dejanovic said after the meeting on Tuesday that the local elections would be called in those Kosovo municipalities in which councilors’ mandates had expired. Zvecan Municipal Assembly Speaker Dobrosav Dobric said on Wednesday that the Serbian parliament speaker had not guaranteed that the local elections would be held, adding that the decision depended on the State Election Commission (RIK). Top Serbia’s officials still have not stated whether the local elections will be held in Kosovo and Djukic-Dejanovic said earlier that it would be necessary to take the actual situation in Kosovo into account. U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Christopher Dell told a Serbian-language TV network that an attempt to hold Serbian elections in Kosovo would mainly harm Serbia. (FoNet, file) Beta

“Decision on elections in Kosovo to be made soon”

Arsić added, however, that the international community’s consent was necessary in order to hold the local elections in Kosovo.

“We are obligated by the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, so aside from the good will of representatives of the Republic of Serbia, the decision on holding of the local election in Kosovo and Metohija will be made in agreement with the international community,” he explained.

According to him, the parliamentary elections will most certainly be held in Kosovo.

He assessed that the local elections were important for the survival of the Serbian community in Kosovo but that the Serbs had to be aware of the circumstances they lived in and the fact that local elections had not been organized in Kosovo before 2008.

“We had coordinators who were in contact with Belgrade and local self-governments were functioning normally, so they will do this type of work,” Arsić said,

According to him, this means that the Serbian institutions will not be shut down, despite numerous claims.

“Everybody will keep their jobs. The fact that the (Serbian) Ministry for Kosovo has received RSD 100mn more compared to the last year’s budget supports that, which is another proof that Serbia is not giving up on Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija and its institutions,” he noted.

Commenting on the situation in northern Kosovo, he said that the part of the province was now in a much better position than the territory south of the Ibar River, since the only remaining self-governments were present in the north which meant better chances of holding the elections.

“There is a possibility that the local elections will be held in the north. The international community can give some kind of consent because the institutions in the north are the only ones while we have both Kosovo and Serbian ones south of the Ibar River,” Arsić stressed.

Commenting on a Tuesday meeting between Serbian parliament Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović and representatives of the local-self governments from northern Kosovo, he said that such meetings with representatives of the local-self governments south of the Ibar River were not necessary.

“Serbia will never renounce Kosovo and therefore there is no need for them to cause additional problems for our representatives aside from numerous pressures from the international community,” the Kosovo district head pointed out.

Kosovsko Pomoravlje District Head Dragan Nikolić said earlier that the local elections organized by Serbia should be held in the entire Kosovo and that the Serbs should not be divided into those living north and those living south of the Ibar River.

Đukić-Dejanović said after the meeting on Tuesday that the local elections would be called in those Kosovo municipalities in which councilors’ mandates had expired.

Zvečan Municipal Assembly Speaker Dobrosav Dobrić said on Wednesday that the Serbian parliament speaker had not guaranteed that the local elections would be held, adding that the decision depended on the State Election Commission (RIK).

Top Serbia’s officials still have not stated whether the local elections will be held in Kosovo and Đukić-Dejanović said earlier that it would be necessary to take the actual situation in Kosovo into account.

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Christopher Dell told a Serbian-language TV network that an attempt to hold Serbian elections in Kosovo would mainly harm Serbia.