Pristina negotiator accused of "fantastic insolence"

Pristina negotiator accused of "fantastic insolence"

According to Kozarev, Tahiri "came up with unconvincing excuses" for Pristina's lack of implementation of a previously reached agreement to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) in Kosovo.

"By coming up with an amazing array of conditions for the creation of the ZSO, Edita Tahiri has tried to cover up the fact that the deadlines for all actions envisaged in the agreement on the establishment of the Community have long been breached, and that the only reason for that is the stubborn and malicious refusal of Pristina to allow the Serb people the creation of minimum conditions for their survival and progress in the province," Kozarev said in a statement.

The establishment of the ZSO, as the most important step so far in the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, is not cause-effect related to any other agreements - that are also being obstructed by Pristina, to make matters more nonsensical, he said.

"We certainly cannot have any sympathy for Ms. Tahiri constantly striving to invent obstacles where there are none. The insolence of Mrs. Tahiri is fantastic, who, among other things, conditions the formation of the ZSO with the shutting down of what she calls 'parallel Serbian institutions', as they are at present the only guarantee of the survival of the Serbi people in Kosovo and Metohija," said Kozarev.

Without the ZSO, he continued, Serbia has no interest in participating in the endless torment Tahiri is persistently putting through both Serbian negotiators and representatives of the EU mediating in dialogue.

"So, gentlemen in Pristina, implement what has been agreed and stop inventing obstacles to the establishment of the ZSO - and if you do not wish take part in the dialogue and think that normalization of relations is not in your interest, make that announcement," Kozarev concluded.

According to reports, the talks in Brussels addressed the issues of why the Community of Serb Municipalities has not been established yet and how visa liberalization for Kosovo will affect Kosovo citizens with Serbian biometric passports.

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Kosovo Office Director Marko Djuric said the Serbian delegation "also posed some difficult questions" on the first day of the resumed technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, relating to the founding of a Serbian telecom that would smoothly operate in Kosovo, visa liberalization for Kosovo and the rights of Kosovo citizens with biometric passports issued by the state of Serbia.