Kosovo platform presented to opposition leaders

BELGRADE Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic held a series of meetings in Belgrade on Thursday with leaders of opposition parties, presented a draft platform for Kosovo. During his separate meetings, the president said that Kosovo was "a historical issue that required the broadest possible consensus between all relevant political factors". Kosovo platform presented to opposition leaders "The platform for the talks is based on protecting Serbia's integrity, the Kosovo Serbs and Serbian churches and monasteries," the president's press service stated. The opposition leaders informed Nikolic they would present the platform to their colleagues. They will state their support and potential suggestions in the coming days, said the press release. Nikolic first met with Democratic Party (DS) leader Dragan Djilas, who said afterwards that the platform was "not realistic". “Having read the document once, it is populist and unrealistic and contains, among other things, a proposal to stop the technical dialogue with the EU which would mean the suspension of the European integration and a date for the negotiations would be even farther away than it is today,” he pointed out. The DS leader told a press conference in the DS headquarters that there were few people who would say that what was written in the platform regarding rights of people in Kosovo was not good for Kosovo Serbs. “The main problem is that we believe that it is unrealistic,” he said and added that the DS Presidency would carefully analyze the document and then present its stance. Djilas added that Serbia today had two policies toward Kosovo – one led by President Tomislav Nikolic and the other by the Serbian government. He said that it was important to do everything in order to reach the widest possible consensus in the society when it comes to such important issues. The DS leader told reporters that the document had nine pages. Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Vojislav Kostunica arrived in the Presidency building around 13:00 CET accompanied by DSS officials Slobodan Samardzic and Aleksandar Nikitovic. Kostunica said after the meeting that the draft platform on Kosovo envisaged solutions which introduced new institutions and a range of powers for Kosovo Serbs' autonomy and added that the document was not based on the Ahtisaari Plus plan. He stressed said that the Catalan model was the one most frequently mentioned in the document and that he would certainly not call it the Ahtissari's plan. When it comes to DSS' possible support for the platform, he said that there were still two issues that needed to be discussed further. "They include the need to clearly define the constitutional and legal link between Serbia and Kosovo, because the question remains whether the autonomy of Serbs is within the autonomous province that is part of Serbia, or within an independent Kosovo," Kostunica explained. "It is not enough to just say that we will never recognize Kosovo. This must be resolved constitutionally and legally," he added. The DSS leader pointed out that the other referred to respect for the agreements reached in Brussels and added that the DSS had launched the issue of constitutionality of these agreements. "What is most important is that this discussion should end in the parliament through adoption of a resolution or a declaration in the public eye," Kostunica concluded. The Serbian president today also met with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Cedomir Jovanovic who said that his party could not support the platform because it needed to “reflect the reality”. He also stressed that the Catalan model was not appropriate for Kosovo. The LDP leader reiterated that the Ahtisaari plan was still the best possible solution for Kosovo Serbs and that the issue of recognition of Kosovo’s independence “should be left for some other time”. He noted that “we cannot go on like this anymore”. According to Jovanovic, the platform must not cause conflicts between Serbia and the international community and Kosovo Albanians. A meeting between the president and Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) leader Istvan Pastor started around 15:00. Following a series of consultations and agreements of national leadership and the drafting of the long-awaited platform, the president will also inform Kosovo Serb representatives living south and north of Ibar River about the content of the document on Friday. Nikolic has launched a series of meetings in an effort to gain the widest possible support for the document that is expected to become the national strategy for resolving the issue of Serbia's southern province. On Monday, December 17, he discussed the draft platform with the ambassadors of Russia, China and Great Britain, Alexander Chepurin, Zhang Wanxue and Michael Davenport respectively, and on Tuesday with Heads of Mission of the Member States of the EU. According to announcements, the draft platform for Kosovo should be put before the parliament by December 31. Djilas said on Wednesday that it would have been better if the parties had been involved in the process before the foreign ambassadors were informed about the platform. “I hope we will get the text of the platform and that we will be able to voice our opinion about it,” he said, adding that the DS assumed responsibility for everything that had been done in the previous period but not for what had been done recently, starting from liaison officers. Daily Danas was told at the Serbian presidency that there was nothing wrong with the fact that Nikolic presented the platform to foreign diplomats first because they did not get to see the final document which would have to be adopted in parliament. Analyst Djordje Vukadinovic told B92 that the opposition could not have a big influence on the platform simply because it naturally had an opposing stance. According to him, the government has a unique opportunity to quietly and without the opposition’s meddling solve the issue of Kosovo. However, Vukadinovic said that the order in which the document was shown – first to foreign diplomats, left a “bad taste in the mouth”. Commenting on the platform, he said that it was not a “complete disaster” but stressed that it was not clear whether it was a solution for Serbs in independent Kosovo or a solution for Kosovo inside Serbia. “It seems that we are solving the issue of Serbs in Kosovo, as an independent and accepted, i.e. as a state entity,” Vukadinovic said and explained that it was a matter of wordplay. According to him, the platform does not represent a de facto recognition of Kosovo because Serbia was not asked to do so. “They want acceptance from us,” he concluded. Vojislav Kostunica and Tomislav Nikolic are seen during the meeting (Beta) B92 Beta Danas Tanjug

Kosovo platform presented to opposition leaders

"The platform for the talks is based on protecting Serbia's integrity, the Kosovo Serbs and Serbian churches and monasteries," the president's press service stated.

The opposition leaders informed Nikolic they would present the platform to their colleagues. They will state their support and potential suggestions in the coming days, said the press release.

Nikolić first met with Democratic Party (DS) leader Dragan Đilas, who said afterwards that the platform was "not realistic".

“Having read the document once, it is populist and unrealistic and contains, among other things, a proposal to stop the technical dialogue with the EU which would mean the suspension of the European integration and a date for the negotiations would be even farther away than it is today,” he pointed out.

The DS leader told a press conference in the DS headquarters that there were few people who would say that what was written in the platform regarding rights of people in Kosovo was not good for Kosovo Serbs.

“The main problem is that we believe that it is unrealistic,” he said and added that the DS Presidency would carefully analyze the document and then present its stance.

Đilas added that Serbia today had two policies toward Kosovo – one led by President Tomislav Nikolić and the other by the Serbian government.

He said that it was important to do everything in order to reach the widest possible consensus in the society when it comes to such important issues.

The DS leader told reporters that the document had nine pages.

Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Vojislav Koštunica arrived in the Presidency building around 13:00 CET accompanied by DSS officials Slobodan Samardžić and Aleksandar Nikitović.

Koštunica said after the meeting that the draft platform on Kosovo envisaged solutions which introduced new institutions and a range of powers for Kosovo Serbs' autonomy and added that the document was not based on the Ahtisaari Plus plan.

He stressed said that the Catalan model was the one most frequently mentioned in the document and that he would certainly not call it the Ahtissari's plan.

When it comes to DSS' possible support for the platform, he said that there were still two issues that needed to be discussed further.

"They include the need to clearly define the constitutional and legal link between Serbia and Kosovo, because the question remains whether the autonomy of Serbs is within the autonomous province that is part of Serbia, or within an independent Kosovo," Koštunica explained.

"It is not enough to just say that we will never recognize Kosovo. This must be resolved constitutionally and legally," he added.

The DSS leader pointed out that the other referred to respect for the agreements reached in Brussels and added that the DSS had launched the issue of constitutionality of these agreements.

"What is most important is that this discussion should end in the parliament through adoption of a resolution or a declaration in the public eye," Koštunica concluded.

The Serbian president today also met with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Čedomir Jovanović who said that his party could not support the platform because it needed to “reflect the reality”. He also stressed that the Catalan model was not appropriate for Kosovo.

The LDP leader reiterated that the Ahtisaari plan was still the best possible solution for Kosovo Serbs and that the issue of recognition of Kosovo’s independence “should be left for some other time”.

He noted that “we cannot go on like this anymore”.

According to Jovanović, the platform must not cause conflicts between Serbia and the international community and Kosovo Albanians.

A meeting between the president and Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) leader Ištvan Pastor started around 15:00.

Following a series of consultations and agreements of national leadership and the drafting of the long-awaited platform, the president will also inform Kosovo Serb representatives living south and north of Ibar River about the content of the document on Friday.

Nikolić has launched a series of meetings in an effort to gain the widest possible support for the document that is expected to become the national strategy for resolving the issue of Serbia's southern province.

On Monday, December 17, he discussed the draft platform with the ambassadors of Russia, China and Great Britain, Alexander Chepurin, Zhang Wanxue and Michael Davenport respectively, and on Tuesday with Heads of Mission of the Member States of the EU.

According to announcements, the draft platform for Kosovo should be put before the parliament by December 31.

Đilas said on Wednesday that it would have been better if the parties had been involved in the process before the foreign ambassadors were informed about the platform.

“I hope we will get the text of the platform and that we will be able to voice our opinion about it,” he said, adding that the DS assumed responsibility for everything that had been done in the previous period but not for what had been done recently, starting from liaison officers.

Daily Danas was told at the Serbian presidency that there was nothing wrong with the fact that Nikolić presented the platform to foreign diplomats first because they did not get to see the final document which would have to be adopted in parliament.

Analyst Đorđe Vukadinović told B92 that the opposition could not have a big influence on the platform simply because it naturally had an opposing stance.
According to him, the government has a unique opportunity to quietly and without the opposition’s meddling solve the issue of Kosovo.

However, Vukadinović said that the order in which the document was shown – first to foreign diplomats, left a “bad taste in the mouth”.

Commenting on the platform, he said that it was not a “complete disaster” but stressed that it was not clear whether it was a solution for Serbs in independent Kosovo or a solution for Kosovo inside Serbia.

“It seems that we are solving the issue of Serbs in Kosovo, as an independent and accepted, i.e. as a state entity,” Vukadinović said and explained that it was a matter of wordplay.

According to him, the platform does not represent a de facto recognition of Kosovo because Serbia was not asked to do so.

“They want acceptance from us,” he concluded.