Belgrade wants "normal conditions" in Kosovo elections

BRUSSELS Belgrade is intent on ensuring that Serbia's citizens in Kosovo have "normal conditions for participation in the forthcoming local elections." This is "despite Pristina's attempts at reducing the turnout of Serbs," advisor to the Serbian president Marko Djuric said on Tuesday evening after technical talks in Brussels. Belgrade wants "normal conditions" in Kosovo elections “Today, we have managed to achieve that some 12,000 contentious voters be registered in the electoral roll,” Djuric said after more than six hours of technical talks at the European External Action Service in Brussels. The meeting was called on the initiative of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, after Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic accused Pristina of jeopardizing the elections by refusing to register displaced Kosovo Serbs in the electoral roll. “Behind these walls, we are fighting for the strict implementation of what has been agreed in Brussels,” Djuric told reporters after the talks at the level of working groups, which began under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Tuesday morning and lasted the entire day. Djuric notes that it is not in the interest of many people in Pristina that a great number of Serbs go to the polls in Kosovo so they are trying to reduce the turnout by using tricks and deceit. “We have to make sure that all, ranging from the electoral roll to T-shirts, caps and badges be all right,” said the presidential adviser, who together with Secretary General at the Serbian government Veljko Odalovic led the Belgrade delegation. Pristina's intent to discourage Serbs from taking part in the elections through restrictive implementation of Kosovo laws constitutes even greater problem than the attempt to travesty the agreement on the status-neutrality of the November 3 local elections, he underscored. Djuric warns that tens of thousands of displaced Kosovo Serbs have the right to participate in local elections, but the Central Electoral Commission in Pristina is denying them that right. “What is certain is that we will not give up on a single Serb vote, and that everyone has to have the right to cast their ballot so that these elections be regular,” he said. “For us, these elections constitute a choice between Serbia and some other option,” Djuric said, adding that the authorities in Belgrade would spare no effort to foil attempts of those who are trying to discourage Serbs from voting. He said that the next round of the technical dialogue would be continued after consultations, and Tanjug learned unofficially that it is expected to take place on October 18. “We will not give up on the fight for creation of a community of Serb municipalities, but we will not allow either for these elections to be held in an atmosphere in which the Serb community has no guarantees that they will be fair and regular,” Djuric said, adding that everything would be fine if all adhered to what had been agreed in Brussels earlier. (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

Belgrade wants "normal conditions" in Kosovo elections

“Today, we have managed to achieve that some 12,000 contentious voters be registered in the electoral roll,” Đurić said after more than six hours of technical talks at the European External Action Service in Brussels.

The meeting was called on the initiative of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, after Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić accused Priština of jeopardizing the elections by refusing to register displaced Kosovo Serbs in the electoral roll.

“Behind these walls, we are fighting for the strict implementation of what has been agreed in Brussels,” Đurić told reporters after the talks at the level of working groups, which began under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Tuesday morning and lasted the entire day.

Đurić notes that it is not in the interest of many people in Priština that a great number of Serbs go to the polls in Kosovo so they are trying to reduce the turnout by using tricks and deceit.

“We have to make sure that all, ranging from the electoral roll to T-shirts, caps and badges be all right,” said the presidential adviser, who together with Secretary General at the Serbian government Veljko Odalović led the Belgrade delegation.

Priština's intent to discourage Serbs from taking part in the elections through restrictive implementation of Kosovo laws constitutes even greater problem than the attempt to travesty the agreement on the status-neutrality of the November 3 local elections, he underscored.

Đurić warns that tens of thousands of displaced Kosovo Serbs have the right to participate in local elections, but the Central Electoral Commission in Priština is denying them that right.

“What is certain is that we will not give up on a single Serb vote, and that everyone has to have the right to cast their ballot so that these elections be regular,” he said.

“For us, these elections constitute a choice between Serbia and some other option,” Đurić said, adding that the authorities in Belgrade would spare no effort to foil attempts of those who are trying to discourage Serbs from voting.

He said that the next round of the technical dialogue would be continued after consultations, and Tanjug learned unofficially that it is expected to take place on October 18.

“We will not give up on the fight for creation of a community of Serb municipalities, but we will not allow either for these elections to be held in an atmosphere in which the Serb community has no guarantees that they will be fair and regular,” Đurić said, adding that everything would be fine if all adhered to what had been agreed in Brussels earlier.