Committee adopts report on Belgrade-Pristina dialogue

Committee adopts report on Belgrade-Pristina dialogue

Belgrade hopes that the EU will be an honest partner who understands the need of the Serbian people to secure for themselves conditions for sustainable development, survival and return to Kosovo and Metohija, says the report that has been handed out to members of the Committee.

The document points out that it is necessary to ensure the political, security, institutional and societal frameworks for normal life of the Serbs in Kosovo.

While presenting the report to the committee, Kosovo Office Director Marko Djuric pointed out that Pristina was avoiding fulfilling their part of obligations, particularly in relation to the setting up of the community of Serb municipalities (ZSO).

He denied allegations by some political leaders from Pristina, who had said the ZSO would be an organization of NGO type, and pointed to the Brussels agreement stipulating that the ZSO would have powers in the areas of health, development planning and education.

Djuric said that the international community should become more involved in that segment and make Pristina implement what had been agreed.

"The key problems in the realization of what has been agreed on in Brussels concern the abandonment of the dynamic determined by the implementation plan, and a lack of leadership of international organizations in solving practical problems on the ground in order to improve the position of Serbs in the territory of the province," he said.

Speaking about the issue of telecommunications, he pointed out that the Serbian government asked asked - simultaneously with the creation of a subsidiary of Telekom Srbija in Kosovo and Metohija and the return of the equipment seized from the company after 1999 - the International Telecommunications Union to assign it another dialing code, that would then be allocated to the province.

"This means that people from central Serbia calling someone in Kosovo and Metohija, and vice versa, would not be dialing some special international number, nor would they pay a special rate," Djuric said.

According to him, the Serbian government is "fully implement the issue of cadastre," but the problem is an attempt by Pristina to adopt a law on verification of property and thus legalize all changes of property that took place after 1999.

"Such a law is unacceptable to us because it represents an attempt by the provisional institutions to enter into the cadastre books all the illegal changes. If Pristina adopt this legislation, which should enter parliamentary procedure, we will consider Pristina unilateral withdrawn from the agreement on the cadastre," said Djuric.

He added that it was agreed during the last meeting in Brussels to open two new administrative crossings toward the province, one in the municipality of Medvedja and one in Zvecan, toward Novi Pazar.

Djuric informed the Committee members that Kosovo's minister of finance is blocking the Fund for the North of Kosovo and Metohija, which is unable to use more than EUR 5 million earmarked for infrastructure projects.

The Kosovo office director announced the first business forum in Gracanica for May 9, which will gather representatives of the largest Serbian companies, the government of Serbia and interim institutions in Pristina.

"We find it easiest to agree with representatives of chambers of commerce because they are not burdened by politics or the status issue. When we spoke last week in Rome about Belgrade-Pristina flights, Edita Tahiri said that air traffic is a political question, which is why there was no agreement. In general, Pristina is raising the question of (Kosovo's) status with each topic, which slows down the implementation of the agreement," said Djuric.

The session of the Committee on Thursday was marked by a heated debate between Djuric and opposition Democratic Party MP Borislav Stefanovic, who asked what guarantees Djuric had that for the claim that Serbian institutions will survive in ​​the province.

"You never presented such a report to the Committee members while you conducted negotiations with representatives of the provisional institutions in Pristina, you acted contrary to the instructions of your government during negotiations," Djuric told Stefanovic, and added:

"Are you aware of the consequences of your actions when you call into question the survival of Serbian institutions in Kosovo? Hashim Thaci has not abolished them, and neither will you."

When ruling SPS party MP Zvonimir Stevic asked about "security assessments" ahead of a rally announced for Saturday in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, Djuric said that the Serbian government is in contact with the KFOR mission and that they and the Kosovo police are expected to prevent any attempt at inciting violence.

"The situation in northern Kosovo is politically stable, but security concerns remain. No one should fear that we will allow anything to happen on a massive level to our people in Kosovo and Metohija," Djuric said.