Events in northern Kosovo "scandal and failure"

BELGRADE The events surrounding the formation of municipalities in northern Kosovo represent "a first-rate scandal," a Democratic Party (DS) official has said. This opposition party on Monday also accused the Serbian government's policy "towards the citizens of those municipalities" of being "a complete failure." Events in northern Kosovo "scandal and failure" The fact that the citizens of Kosovska Mitrovica will have to go to elections once again to elect their mayor was "incredible," and "a sad consequence of the government's dishonesty about what has really been signed in the Brussels Agreement, and what lies ahead for Serbs following its implementation," DS presidency member Vladimir Todoric said, and added: "The citizens were forced to vote when they were told that those not voting for the Srpska list would be voting for Thaci, and now the resignation of the leader of that list is being appraised as irrelevant by Aleksadar Vulin. I'm afraid that for Mr. Vulin and his colleagues from the government, all those who voted for the list and those who were on it are also irrelevant, compared to the maintaining of a false picture of status-neutrality of local elections in Kosovo." The DS calls on the government to clearly state "whether, and when exactly, the community of Serb municipalities is to be established, and when the Serbian parliament will pass the announced constitutional act that is related to it," Todoric said. Late on Saturday, special sessions were held in Leposavic, Zvecan, northern Kosovska Mitrovica and Zubin Potok, during which councilors and most mayors signed official statements and assumed office. However, Krstimir Pantic did not accept to be the mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica and, together with a few other councilors, refused to sign the statement. On Monday, Pantic told Vecernje Novosti that that he renounced the office of the mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica because he did not want to sign a document with the coat-of-arms of Kosovo and the symbols stating that Kosovo is a republic, stressing that this would constitute a violation of the Serbian Constitution. Vladimir Todoric (Beta, file) B92 Tanjug

Events in northern Kosovo "scandal and failure"

The fact that the citizens of Kosovska Mitrovica will have to go to elections once again to elect their mayor was "incredible," and "a sad consequence of the government's dishonesty about what has really been signed in the Brussels Agreement, and what lies ahead for Serbs following its implementation," DS presidency member Vladimir Todorić said, and added:

"The citizens were forced to vote when they were told that those not voting for the Srpska list would be voting for Thaci, and now the resignation of the leader of that list is being appraised as irrelevant by Aleksadar Vulin. I'm afraid that for Mr. Vulin and his colleagues from the government, all those who voted for the list and those who were on it are also irrelevant, compared to the maintaining of a false picture of status-neutrality of local elections in Kosovo."

The DS calls on the government to clearly state "whether, and when exactly, the community of Serb municipalities is to be established, and when the Serbian parliament will pass the announced constitutional act that is related to it," Todorić said.

Late on Saturday, special sessions were held in Leposavić, Zvečan, northern Kosovska Mitrovica and Zubin Potok, during which councilors and most mayors signed official statements and assumed office.

However, Krstimir Pantić did not accept to be the mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica and, together with a few other councilors, refused to sign the statement.

On Monday, Pantić told Večernje Novosti that that he renounced the office of the mayor of northern Kosovska Mitrovica because he did not want to sign a document with the coat-of-arms of Kosovo and the symbols stating that Kosovo is a republic, stressing that this would constitute a violation of the Serbian Constitution.