"Belgrade ready to provide electricity"

Serbia is ready to purchase additional electricity and pay the bills for the Kosovo Serbs, Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic says. "For the sake of the survival of the Serb community, we must do all, even talk to the leadership of the Kosovo electro-energy corporation in order to secure better power supplies for the people," he said on Sunday. "Belgrade ready to provide electricity" Bogdanovic explained that the temporary Kosovo institutions are "asking for money" and that Serbia is ready to pay electricity bills of the Serbs, but that control instruments are lacking, necessary to determine precisely how much the Serb households in Kosovo spend. The minister also raised doubts over the validity of the EUR 101mn figure given by the Kosovo Albanian authorities. "Elektroprivreda Srbije [power corporation EPS] is not taking part in Kosmet electricity production because all the power plants are currently in the hands of the Albanians. We have offered UNMIK concrete assistance, stressing that Serbia is ready to provide additional power supplies above all for the Serbs and other non-Albanians," Bogdanovic continued. Since this assistance could not be realized in the Serb areas only, Belgrade "would be ready to supply Albanian households too, Albanian families, so that Serbs could in return have a constant supply of electric power". Bodganovic said his ministry's "biggest problem" is how to provide the Serbs and other non-Albanians in the province with a stable power supply ahead of the winter, "since the authorities in Pristina are somewhat politicizing or trying to abuse Belgrade's intentions to help". Serbia is ready to cooperate with UNMIK to overcome this problem, the minister said, however, "unfortunately, UNMIK is steering us to toward the temporary institutions, and at this moment we cannot speak to institutions that are trying to separate a part of Serbia's territory". As for other forms of aid for Kosovo's Serbs and other non-Albanians, Bogdanovic said materials to be used for heating are already being distributed, destined for schools, state institutions, monasteries, churches and socially vulnerable persons in Kosovo.

"Belgrade ready to provide electricity"

Bogdanović explained that the temporary Kosovo institutions are "asking for money" and that Serbia is ready to pay electricity bills of the Serbs, but that control instruments are lacking, necessary to determine precisely how much the Serb households in Kosovo spend.

The minister also raised doubts over the validity of the EUR 101mn figure given by the Kosovo Albanian authorities.

"Elektroprivreda Srbije [power corporation EPS] is not taking part in Kosmet electricity production because all the power plants are currently in the hands of the Albanians. We have offered UNMIK concrete assistance, stressing that Serbia is ready to provide additional power supplies above all for the Serbs and other non-Albanians," Bogdanović continued.

Since this assistance could not be realized in the Serb areas only, Belgrade "would be ready to supply Albanian households too, Albanian families, so that Serbs could in return have a constant supply of electric power".

Bodganović said his ministry's "biggest problem" is how to provide the Serbs and other non-Albanians in the province with a stable power supply ahead of the winter, "since the authorities in Priština are somewhat politicizing or trying to abuse Belgrade's intentions to help".

Serbia is ready to cooperate with UNMIK to overcome this problem, the minister said, however, "unfortunately, UNMIK is steering us to toward the temporary institutions, and at this moment we cannot speak to institutions that are trying to separate a part of Serbia's territory".

As for other forms of aid for Kosovo's Serbs and other non-Albanians, Bogdanović said materials to be used for heating are already being distributed, destined for schools, state institutions, monasteries, churches and socially vulnerable persons in Kosovo.