North Kosovo Serbs, state officials reach agreement

BELGRADE The meeting between the country's top officials and representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo "confirmed the state unity on the Kosovo policy". This was announced from PM Ivica Dacic after the meeting ended in Belgrade on Thursday afternoon. North Kosovo Serbs, state officials reach agreement Dacic told reporters that joint management of four administrative line crossings between Kosovo and central Serbia "will be established by the year's end", and that those crossings will be "status-neutral". Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantic stated that "all the demands of Serbs from northern Kosovo have been met", but that they will on Friday meet to decide whether to end their ongoing protests at the administrative line. Dacic also announced that Serbia's platform on Kosovo and Metohija would be adopted during the month, in order to define the state policy on the issue. According to him, "there is no reason for Serbs to continue their blockade of administrative crossings": "We have done everything as we agreed, and the greatest guarantee for Serbs is the guarantee of the state of Serbia, through the decision of the state that it will suspend the implementation of the agreement in case there is any deviation from it." "We must be strong in order to defend Kosovo and Metohija, we cannot defend it militarily, but only politically, and for that reason we must stand united," the prime minister commented after the meeting, held at the Serbian Presidency. According to him, if Serbia missed the opportunity to now be given a positive opinion from the EU, it would have to wait until 2014 for a date for the start of membership talks. Mayor Pantic confirmed that all demands of Serbs from the north, related to the integrated management of the crossings, had been met. This agreement was initialed by the previous Serbian government during the EU-sponsored Kosovo dialogue. The deal is officially known as "Integrated Border Management (IBM)". Pantic explained that councilors of four Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo will meet on Friday for a joint session and decide on their next steps. For the past three days, the local citizens have been blocking a location near Jarinje, preventing construction works on a checkpoint that is built there as part of the IBM agreement. The mayor said that he was an optimist when it came to the decision to end the protest, and added that he would recommend to the councilors to accept the government's position and its guarantees, noting also that they also received "written guarantees" - in the shape of a government conclusion adopted today in Belgrade. The conclusion states that the demands of Serbs from northern Kosovo had been accepted, and that the agreement would be suspended in case the ethnic Albanian authorities "started abusing it". According to Pantic, this solution "must be favorable for Serbs who live in Kosovo", but also for Serbia as a whole: "I am certain that there will be no further misunderstandings between the government of Serbia and Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija," he concluded. Northern Serbs started their protest earlier this week out of fear that the administrative line crossings could turn into a "border", and that they would be forced to seek personal documents issued by the authorities in Pristina, and pay customs fees. Serbs form a majority north of the Ibar River and reject both the authority of the government in Pristina, and the unilateral declaration of independence that Kosovo's ethnic Albanians made almost five years ago. The meeting in Belgrade on Thursday was attended by mayors Krstimir Pantic, Dragisa Milovic, Slavisa Ristic, and Dragisa Vasic, and PM Ivica Dacic, President Tomislav Nikolic, deputy PMs Jovan Krkobabic, Suzana Grubjesic and Rasim Ljajic, Kosovo Office head Aleksandar Vulin, and Belgrade's negotiator in the technical talks Dejan Pavicevic. Dacic addresses reporters after the meeting (Tanjug) Beta Tanjug

North Kosovo Serbs, state officials reach agreement

Dačić told reporters that joint management of four administrative line crossings between Kosovo and central Serbia "will be established by the year's end", and that those crossings will be "status-neutral".

Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić stated that "all the demands of Serbs from northern Kosovo have been met", but that they will on Friday meet to decide whether to end their ongoing protests at the administrative line.

Dačić also announced that Serbia's platform on Kosovo and Metohija would be adopted during the month, in order to define the state policy on the issue. According to him, "there is no reason for Serbs to continue their blockade of administrative crossings":

"We have done everything as we agreed, and the greatest guarantee for Serbs is the guarantee of the state of Serbia, through the decision of the state that it will suspend the implementation of the agreement in case there is any deviation from it."

"We must be strong in order to defend Kosovo and Metohija, we cannot defend it militarily, but only politically, and for that reason we must stand united," the prime minister commented after the meeting, held at the Serbian Presidency.

According to him, if Serbia missed the opportunity to now be given a positive opinion from the EU, it would have to wait until 2014 for a date for the start of membership talks.

Mayor Pantić confirmed that all demands of Serbs from the north, related to the integrated management of the crossings, had been met.

This agreement was initialed by the previous Serbian government during the
EU-sponsored Kosovo dialogue. The deal is officially known as "Integrated Border Management (IBM)".

Pantić explained that councilors of four Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo will meet on Friday for a joint session and decide on their next steps. For the past three days, the local citizens have been blocking a location near Jarinje, preventing construction works on a checkpoint that is built there as part of the IBM agreement.

The mayor said that he was an optimist when it came to the decision to end the protest, and added that he would recommend to the councilors to accept the government's position and its guarantees, noting also that they also received "written guarantees" - in the shape of a government conclusion adopted today in Belgrade.

The conclusion states that the demands of Serbs from northern Kosovo had been accepted, and that the agreement would be suspended in case the ethnic Albanian authorities "started abusing it".

According to Pantić, this solution "must be favorable for Serbs who live in Kosovo", but also for Serbia as a whole:

"I am certain that there will be no further misunderstandings between the government of Serbia and Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija," he concluded.

Northern Serbs started their protest earlier this week out of fear that the administrative line crossings could turn into a "border", and that they would be forced to seek personal documents issued by the authorities in Priština, and pay customs fees.

Serbs form a majority north of the Ibar River and reject both the authority of the government in Priština, and the unilateral declaration of independence that Kosovo's ethnic Albanians made almost five years ago.

The meeting in Belgrade on Thursday was attended by mayors Krstimir Pantić, Dragiša Milović, Slaviša Ristić, and Dragiša Vasić, and PM Ivica Dačić, President Tomislav Nikolić, deputy PMs Jovan Krkobabić, Suzana Grubješić and Rasim Ljajić, Kosovo Office head Aleksandar Vulin, and Belgrade's negotiator in the technical talks Dejan Pavićević.