“Nikolić won't meet with Kosovo president“

BELGRADE Serbia's President Tomislav Nikolic is not planning to meet with Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga before a political consensus on Kosovo is reached. The president’s office has denied speculations of Pristina media that Nikolic will meet with Jahjaga in September in New York during the UN General Assembly sitting, daily Press writes. “Nikolic won't meet with Kosovo president“ The Presidency claims that there is no possibility that the meeting will take place. “It is true that the president will be in New York in September, in the UN, but the meeting will not take place because the president wants to reach a consensus on the Kosovo issue in Serbia before any talks,” the president’s office said. Nikolic’s associates point out that the president will initiate the talks with all parliamentary parties and relevant factors in the Serbian society immediately after the new government is formed. “Nikolic will initiate the forming of a working group or some kind of team that all important political factors would be a part of. Aside from the president or representatives of MP groups in the Serbian parliament, church representatives and Serbs from Kosovo would also be a part of the team,” the Press’ sources stressed. They said that the president’s goal was to reach an agreement that would later be adopted by parliament and that would be binding for all Serbian representatives that took part in any talks regarding the southern Serbian province. “Only then it could be considered whether the meeting could take place and what would be discussed. Nikolic is not running away from the responsibility but he does not want to go to the talks unprepared and he does not want to play with the fate of the Kosovo Serbs,” the Serbian president’s cabinet told the daily. Nikolic also insists that the UN takes part in the talks between Belgrade and Pristina. Tomislav Nikolic (Beta, file) Tanjug Press

“Nikolić won't meet with Kosovo president“

The Presidency claims that there is no possibility that the meeting will take place.

“It is true that the president will be in New York in September, in the UN, but the meeting will not take place because the president wants to reach a consensus on the Kosovo issue in Serbia before any talks,” the president’s office said.

Nikolić’s associates point out that the president will initiate the talks with all parliamentary parties and relevant factors in the Serbian society immediately after the new government is formed.

“Nikolić will initiate the forming of a working group or some kind of team that all important political factors would be a part of. Aside from the president or representatives of MP groups in the Serbian parliament, church representatives and Serbs from Kosovo would also be a part of the team,” the Press’ sources stressed.

They said that the president’s goal was to reach an agreement that would later be adopted by parliament and that would be binding for all Serbian representatives that took part in any talks regarding the southern Serbian province.

“Only then it could be considered whether the meeting could take place and what would be discussed. Nikolić is not running away from the responsibility but he does not want to go to the talks unprepared and he does not want to play with the fate of the Kosovo Serbs,” the Serbian president’s cabinet told the daily.

Nikolić also insists that the UN takes part in the talks between Belgrade and Priština.