Minister criticizes EULEX in Kosovo

Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic said on Friday that Serbia is "not completely satisfied with EULEX's actions". However, he added that the international community is the government's only partner in the province. Minister criticizes EULEX in Kosovo "The Serbian government has accepted that the EULEX mission be established in the whole territory of Kosovo, but unfortunately, we are not completely satisfied with its work," Bogdanovic was quoted as saying. The minister said that the doubt over the EU mission's work is also caused by the latest events in Kosovska Mitrovica's Brdjani neighborhood where Serbs are holding daily protests, after an agreement on rebuilding of Albanian houses there was broken. "We [the government] must trust someone and cooperate with someone in Kosovo, and we can do this only with the international community representatives, EULEX, UNMIK, KFOR, regardless of the fact that they have demonstrated many times their bias, that they perhaps work in favor of one side only. It is up to us to point to these problems in the talks and we are literally in daily contact," said the minister. Bogdanovic also addressed the issue of power cuts to Serb communities in the province, and said the electricity problem "has been ongoing for the past ten years, taking dramatic proportions now". "The Serbs have nothing against paying the bills and they have demonstrated this by starting to collect the money and paying general bills. However, we wish to solve this issue system-wise. It's unacceptable, for the Kosovo electric power corporation, or anyone else, to blackmail Serbs in this way." According to him, Serbs and other non-Albanians are under constant pressure in Kosovo, also when it comes to their personal documents and car license plates. Bogdanovic said that his ministry had suggested to take on the payment electricity bills for all socially vulnerable Serb families should they choose to pay them, and denied there was pressure on Serbs coming from Belgrade "that they must pay". "No one in Belgrade favors pressures, but solutions to the problem. We are ready to help," said Bogdanovic.

Minister criticizes EULEX in Kosovo

"The Serbian government has accepted that the EULEX mission be established in the whole territory of Kosovo, but unfortunately, we are not completely satisfied with its work," Bogdanović was quoted as saying.

The minister said that the doubt over the EU mission's work is also caused by the latest events in Kosovska Mitrovica's Brđani neighborhood where Serbs are holding daily protests, after an agreement on rebuilding of Albanian houses there was broken.

"We [the government] must trust someone and cooperate with someone in Kosovo, and we can do this only with the international community representatives, EULEX, UNMIK, KFOR, regardless of the fact that they have demonstrated many times their bias, that they perhaps work in favor of one side only. It is up to us to point to these problems in the talks and we are literally in daily contact," said the minister.

Bogdanović also addressed the issue of power cuts to Serb communities in the province, and said the electricity problem "has been ongoing for the past ten years, taking dramatic proportions now".

"The Serbs have nothing against paying the bills and they have demonstrated this by starting to collect the money and paying general bills. However, we wish to solve this issue system-wise. It's unacceptable, for the Kosovo electric power corporation, or anyone else, to blackmail Serbs in this way."

According to him, Serbs and other non-Albanians are under constant pressure in Kosovo, also when it comes to their personal documents and car license plates.

Bogdanović said that his ministry had suggested to take on the payment electricity bills for all socially vulnerable Serb families should they choose to pay them, and denied there was pressure on Serbs coming from Belgrade "that they must pay".

"No one in Belgrade favors pressures, but solutions to the problem. We are ready to help," said Bogdanović.