"Belgrade continues to provide economic aid to Serbs"

"Belgrade continues to provide economic aid to Serbs"

Speaking about yesterday's meeting between representatives of Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade authorities, he said it was "indeed a turning point because it achieved unity among the Serbs, but also unity with Belgrade."

According to Mihajlović, this would not have happened "if Belgrade itself did not start to look differently at the involvement of Serbs in Kosovo."

"Proof of this is the creation of a single list of Serbs who participated in the election and achieved supremacy in the political representation of Serbs. This list has received nine seats, with a possibility to negotiate for some additional seats," said he.

This official added that "without the decisions of Belgrade there would not be this unity," and that "proof of this is that the unity was lacking in the past 15 years." Mihajlović also said that this "new reality begun as early as during the talks in Brussels."

"This unity is important not only so that Serbs influence developments in Kosovo, but also so that Belgrade may influence developments in Kosovo," Mihajlović believes.

An important message from yesterday's meeting was to encourage Belgrade Serbs to join the Kosovo government. "It also sends a clear message that Serbs should enter the government, not to be the bad guys, that they need to cooperate, if this cooperation brings good for them, and thus have a chance to get what they were demanding even back on the barricades," continued Mihajlovićm and added:

"Serbs can now realize their influence on three levels - local, parliamentary and government, but also through the influence on Brussels, because their position and credibility are now strengthening after it turned out this united position was achieved."

When asked what the main difference between the current participation of Serbs and their previous participation in various forms of government in Kosovo, Mihajlović said that Serbs in Kosovo took part in various ways in the provisional authorities "ever since 1999," when they, "like Rada (Radmila) Trajković were trying to protect Serbs from pogroms, regardless of being called traitors."

"Later, various teams of Serbs participated in various Kosovo authorities, but because of a variety of interests, mostly personal, and there was the Albanian interest above all to show that Serbs participate in government, while in fact they were merely the decor," he said.

According to Mihajlović, Kosovo's political scene is now "fragmented" and it is very important who will form the government. For now, he says, no one has a majority, and the clash is between Hashim Thaci and Ramush Haradinaj.

Asked "whether Belgrade is saying it is not important who will be prime minister of Kosovo," Mihajlović pointed out that the issue "should be viewed from the viewpoint that Serbs should not be interested" - but also "from the viewpoint that they can now use their blackmailing power because when major parties do not have a majority to form a government, then smaller parties gain strength."

"The biggest point of contention is currently the Self-Determination movement and they are against the Brussels agreement. This is the biggest point of contention. I am sure that the Kosovo government will be formed on the platform of the Brussels agreement. Now the story is that the Self-Determination can tip the scale, but I think that role will be taken by the Serbs."

"And that is why it is important that the Serbs who are elected as deputies send a message from the government of Serbia, because the message is two-way, it is a message that they are with Belgrade, in political terms, but also a message to Brussels," added Mihajlović, and noted that he "does not believe that the international community will allow a new conflict in Kosovo that would arise if the government said 'there was no Brussels agreement'."

Mihajlović, however, pointed out that a law according to which Kosovo Serbs are entitled to ten seats in the assembly "plus what they get in elections" was now being "openly violated."

"Now they are given only nine seats, and they should have had about 16. This correction should happened in Brussels."

"International representatives in Priština saw this as well....But that's just one of many pressures by Priština, which does not want the Serbs to participate in government, because they are now a problem to extremists who want to continue to present Serbs as troublemakers" - said this government official.