"Agreement to be finalized in coming days"

"Agreement to be finalized in coming days"

After the 22nd round of the dialogue with the Priština delegation headed by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, Dačić expressed the belief that stands have been converged to a considerable extent.

Working groups and experts are expected to finalize the text in the coming days, so that we can meet again soon to also make a political decision on reaching an agreement on the judiciary, he said.

The exact date of the next meeting in Brussels has not yet been set, but it could take place in the next "seven to ten days, in two weeks at the latest," he said.

Wednesday's discussions in Brussels were hectic and difficult - Belgrade and Priština maintained differing positions, with the Kosovo ethnic Albanians unwilling to accept a division of the Kosovska Mitrovica court on ethnic grounds, Dačić said.

The position of Belgrade's delegation was that, if a single court and a single prosecutor's office are formed in Kosovska Mitrovica, "it will not mean that Serbs in northern Kosovo would lose their specific identity and authenticity, since there are seven municipalities in that part of the province, rather than just four," Dačić said.

"We found some solutions that would allow for a distribution of (court) cases by certain categories and provide one part of a building to employees. On the other hand, the Court of Appeals will also be based there," Dačić said.

Under the agreement, if a single court is formed, the majority of judges and prosecutors working at the section of the court based in the (Serb-majority) northern Kosovo will be Serbs, the Serbian prime minister added.

The composition of the court will not be based solely on ethnic grounds, as this does not reflect the judicial practice, nor is it something that Belgrade wants, Dačić pointed out.

"Certain solutions have been found that would protect our interests and positions, and we are on the right track to reach an agreement on the judiciary," Dačić said, adding that the agreement is very important for Serbia.

"We cannot afford a standstill as it is the key criterion for progress in Serbia's EU membership talks," he said.

Dačić said that other issues were also discussed at the meeting, such as that of four Serbs arrested in Kosovo-Metohija, including Oliver Ivanović, who will run in the February 23 mayoral elections in northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

Ivanović has been in detention since January 27, on suspicion of involvement in an alleged war crime in 1999 and post-war incidents in 2000, including an aggravated murder.

"Belgrade does not want to influence the work of the judiciary, but believes that the arrests can destabilize the situation in the north. We have requested that EU use its authority so that we can find out what this is about, why the arrests have taken place," Dačić said.

Also discussed at the meeting was OSCE-assisted participation of Kosovo Serbs in the March 16 early parliamentary elections in Serbia.

The previous round of the talks ended on January 27 without an agreement on the structure of the justice system in northern Kosovo.

Priština insisted that in addition to the four Serb-dominated municipalities, three municipalities with ethnic Albanian majority population south of the Ibar River should also be included in the jurisdiction of the Kosovska Mitrovica Basic Court. This was, however, unacceptable for Belgrade as it would pose an obstacle to even distribution of employees in the justice system on the grounds of their ethnicity.

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić also took part in Wednesday's talks mediated by High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

"Fundamental progress"

Hashim Thaci said after meeting that a fundamental progress has been made towards an agreement on justice.

“We have made fundamental progress toward an agreement on justice, we brought our positions closer and we talked about everything that has to do with the justice system,” Thaci told reporters.

He pointed out that "all agreements involved will be in full compliance with the Kosovo constitution and laws."

Thaci said that he and Dačić will meet again in Brussels in a few days to finalize the deal, adding that several more issues need be discussed by expert groups to find a solution over the next few days.

"Final deal at next meeting"

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Wednesday that Dačić and Thaci will finalize an agreement on judiciary at their next meeting in Brussels.

“I met with Prime Minister Dačić, Prime Minister Thaci and their delegations in Brussels today in the framework of the dialogue for normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština,” Ashton said in a statement.

She added that they had an in-depth discussion on all the final issues related to the question of justice on the basis of the April 19 agreement.

“All the relevant elements are now being put together as a package which the two prime ministers will finalize at their next meeting,” Ashton said.