Committee chair on implementation of Brussels agreement

BELGRADE Milovan Drecun has said that a period of lively diplomatic activity is ahead, "because it it is Serbia's strategy to work on non-recognition of Kosovo". The chairman of the Parliament Committee on Kosovo and Metohija spoke for B92 on Wednesday in Belgrade. Committee chair on implementation of Brussels agreement Drecun said that the strategy of the state - along with drafting a platform and creating as broad a consensus as possible on the issue of Kosovo - was to conduct strong diplomatic efforts in order to prevent further recognitions of Kosovo, and to gain strong support, particularly of large countries, for the moment when the issue of Kosovo's status comes up on the agenda. He added that at this moment, "we are facing the implementation of the agreement on integrated management of crossings, along with pressure from the international community that this agreement be implemented". "As far as I know, the implementation should start on three crossings, and after three weeks, on others," Drecun said and added that the date for the start of tis was "not essential", but rather that "we now have agreements reached between Belgrade and Pristina by the previous government, which are sponsored by the EU, and that every government must respect the continuity of the state". "Otherwise, we would be faced with severe consequences. We tried to relax a bit the situation ... to improve, for us, the unfavorable provisions as much as possible." When it comes to the administrative line crossings between Kosovo and central Serbia, he explained that Serbia sees them as checkpoints, that will have no symbols of the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo. This parliament official said that such symbols are now present, but that after the agreement - known as the IBM ("Integrated Border Management") - has been implemented, this will not be the case. "We now need to interpret it in a way that is positive for us, and to act accordingly... The point is this - the crossing will, as far as the Serbs are concerned, be functinal and they will not have to go through alternative crossings and hills. However, we should wait to see what will happen when it comes to goods and customs clearance." Although "this may seem as a recognition of Kosovo," continued Drecun, "de facto, it does not mean that Serbia recognized Kosovo". The territory can only become an independent state when it joins the United Nations and when it becomes recognized by Serbia - something that Serbia will never do. "Everything else is their wishful thinking," says Drecun. According to him, the situation is complicated for Serbia, because it has to act on the basis of previously accepted agreements and arrangements, starting with UNSC Resolution 1244, a decision on the reconfiguration of UNMIK, after which EULEX was deployed, all the way to the decision to have the Kosovo talks under the patronage of the EU, rather than the UN. "So, we have no room for maneuver, because we have to respect what was agreed. We are now trying to find a bend in the road and see what else we can do," said Drecun. Nevertheless, he added, "special care should be taken of the Serbs south of the Ibar River" - i.e., in places where they live in isolated enclaves - "although all that is being discussed are the Serbs in the north". According to Drecun, "if Serbia is not a cooperative someone in the international community can nudge (Hashim) Thaci to clean up Serbs south of the Ibar" - a population he said was being held hostage there. When asked if he expected protests and barricades in the Serb-dominated north, considering that the citizens there announced such action in protest of the IBM agreement, Drecun said the state was undertaking all it could to explain the situation and why the deal "must be implemented", what it means, and "how difficult the struggle to preserve the state's territorial integrity is". "A painful step, for example, is to implement what the previous government had agreed to in Brussels," the parliamentary committee chair stated. However, he concluded, Serbia is yet in for many compromises, but, as he says, "Pristina (Kosovo Albanian authorities) will have to start making some". According to him, this is because "Nikolic said at the United Nations that Serbia cannot be the only party to be pressured and that Pristina must also give something". Milovan Drecun (B92) B92

Committee chair on implementation of Brussels agreement

Drecun said that the strategy of the state - along with drafting a platform and creating as broad a consensus as possible on the issue of Kosovo - was to conduct strong diplomatic efforts in order to prevent further recognitions of Kosovo, and to gain strong support, particularly of large countries, for the moment when the issue of Kosovo's status comes up on the agenda.

He added that at this moment, "we are facing the implementation of the agreement on integrated management of crossings, along with pressure from the international community that this agreement be implemented".

"As far as I know, the implementation should start on three crossings, and after three weeks, on others," Drecun said and added that the date for the start of tis was "not essential", but rather that "we now have agreements reached between Belgrade and Priština by the previous government, which are sponsored by the EU, and that every government must respect the continuity of the state".

"Otherwise, we would be faced with severe consequences. We tried to relax a bit the situation ... to improve, for us, the unfavorable provisions as much as possible."

When it comes to the administrative line crossings between Kosovo and central Serbia, he explained that Serbia sees them as checkpoints, that will have no symbols of the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo. This parliament official said that such symbols are now present, but that after the agreement - known as the IBM ("Integrated Border Management") - has been implemented, this will not be the case.

"We now need to interpret it in a way that is positive for us, and to act accordingly... The point is this - the crossing will, as far as the Serbs are concerned, be functinal and they will not have to go through alternative crossings and hills. However, we should wait to see what will happen when it comes to goods and customs clearance."

Although "this may seem as a recognition of Kosovo," continued Drecun, "de facto, it does not mean that Serbia recognized Kosovo". The territory can only become an independent state when it joins the United Nations and when it becomes recognized by Serbia - something that Serbia will never do. "Everything else is their wishful thinking," says Drecun.

According to him, the situation is complicated for Serbia, because it has to act on the basis of previously accepted agreements and arrangements, starting with UNSC Resolution 1244, a decision on the reconfiguration of UNMIK, after which EULEX was deployed, all the way to the decision to have the Kosovo talks under the patronage of the EU, rather than the UN.

"So, we have no room for maneuver, because we have to respect what was agreed. We are now trying to find a bend in the road and see what else we can do," said Drecun.

Nevertheless, he added, "special care should be taken of the Serbs south of the Ibar River" - i.e., in places where they live in isolated enclaves - "although all that is being discussed are the Serbs in the north". According to Drecun, "if Serbia is not a cooperative someone in the international community can nudge (Hashim) Thaci to clean up Serbs south of the Ibar" - a population he said was being held hostage there.

When asked if he expected protests and barricades in the Serb-dominated north, considering that the citizens there announced such action in protest of the IBM agreement, Drecun said the state was undertaking all it could to explain the situation and why the deal "must be implemented", what it means, and "how difficult the struggle to preserve the state's territorial integrity is".

"A painful step, for example, is to implement what the previous government had agreed to in Brussels," the parliamentary committee chair stated.

However, he concluded, Serbia is yet in for many compromises, but, as he says, "Priština (Kosovo Albanian authorities) will have to start making some". According to him, this is because "Nikolić said at the United Nations that Serbia cannot be the only party to be pressured and that Priština must also give something".