Team head: Peace must be preserved

Belgrade negotiating team head Borislav Stefanovic has spoken to northern Kosovo Serb representatives about the current situation in the province. They talked about political and security situation and about further steps, especially about the upcoming dialogue in Brussels. Team head: Peace must be preserved “At the same time we talked about possibilities to solve the crisis and maintain peace and stability and about not giving any reason for any unilateral violent moves of Pristina,” the team chief stressed. “Just like it was publicly said several times today, Serbia supports activities aimed at investigating crimes which are conducted in accordance with the mandate and Resolution 1244 and the status-neutral approach,” he explained. Stefanovic said that he came to Kosovo in order to talk to Serbs, including Serbs in the village of Rudare where the only remaining barricade is located, and inform them about Serbia’s current foreign political situation and what Serbia was going to face in Brussels in the following days. “That’s preservation of peace and stability, not reacting to any provocations, continuation of support to Serbia and its institutions in Kosovo and Metohija and at the same time continuation of European integrations,” he pointed out. When asked what his message to Kosovo Serbs was, Stefanovic said that Serbia would do everything to preserve peace and to reach that peace in a nonviolent way. “Serbia and its institutions will be in Kosovo and Metohija. Every agreement we will have with Pristina will be directed at helping citizens and their lives and solving big problems they have without jeopardizing our positions on sovereignty,” he stressed. The Belgrade team head added that the situation in Kosovo was always tense, that people were nervous and that provocations “can always happen again”. “It is important that we have an adequate response, that it is peaceful, calm and rational and that people are united. Not a single act of Pristina’s adventurism should be allowed at the moment, to change the situation in northern Kosovo again. Firstly, because it is impossible and unfeasible and secondly because it deeply harms the dialogue and agreements and the dialogue is the only way to solve problems,” he stressed. When asked whether there was unity among Serb representatives in Kosovo, Stefanovic said that “he has not noticed any differences”. “Normal people live here and there are no criminals. Even if there are any, I don’t believe that there are more of them here than south of the Ibar River, so we have to finally remove this argument because it is harmful to stability and it is not true,” the team chief pointed out. Commenting on Wednesday’s EULEX operation in Zubin Potok, he said that Serbia insisted that all activities needed to be in accordance with KFOR and EULEX’s mandates and status-neutral and that use of force should be avoided as much as possible. “It only provokes and violates stability that has been created with the interim agreement. The investigation is legitimate because it is being conducted in accordance with the mandate,” Stefanovic concluded. Borislav Stefanovic

Team head: Peace must be preserved

“At the same time we talked about possibilities to solve the crisis and maintain peace and stability and about not giving any reason for any unilateral violent moves of Priština,” the team chief stressed.

“Just like it was publicly said several times today, Serbia supports activities aimed at investigating crimes which are conducted in accordance with the mandate and Resolution 1244 and the status-neutral approach,” he explained.

Stefanović said that he came to Kosovo in order to talk to Serbs, including Serbs in the village of Rudare where the only remaining barricade is located, and inform them about Serbia’s current foreign political situation and what Serbia was going to face in Brussels in the following days.

“That’s preservation of peace and stability, not reacting to any provocations, continuation of support to Serbia and its institutions in Kosovo and Metohija and at the same time continuation of European integrations,” he pointed out.

When asked what his message to Kosovo Serbs was, Stefanović said that Serbia would do everything to preserve peace and to reach that peace in a nonviolent way.

“Serbia and its institutions will be in Kosovo and Metohija. Every agreement we will have with Priština will be directed at helping citizens and their lives and solving big problems they have without jeopardizing our positions on sovereignty,” he stressed.

The Belgrade team head added that the situation in Kosovo was always tense, that people were nervous and that provocations “can always happen again”.

“It is important that we have an adequate response, that it is peaceful, calm and rational and that people are united. Not a single act of Priština’s adventurism should be allowed at the moment, to change the situation in northern Kosovo again. Firstly, because it is impossible and unfeasible and secondly because it deeply harms the dialogue and agreements and the dialogue is the only way to solve problems,” he stressed.

When asked whether there was unity among Serb representatives in Kosovo, Stefanović said that “he has not noticed any differences”.

“Normal people live here and there are no criminals. Even if there are any, I don’t believe that there are more of them here than south of the Ibar River, so we have to finally remove this argument because it is harmful to stability and it is not true,” the team chief pointed out.

Commenting on Wednesday’s EULEX operation in Zubin Potok, he said that Serbia insisted that all activities needed to be in accordance with KFOR and EULEX’s mandates and status-neutral and that use of force should be avoided as much as possible.

“It only provokes and violates stability that has been created with the interim agreement. The investigation is legitimate because it is being conducted in accordance with the mandate,” Stefanović concluded.