I don’t take orders from Priština, president says

BELGRADE Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolic has stated that he will not spend Christmas in the Gracanica monastery, Beta news agency has reported. Serbs mark Orthodox Christmas on January 7. I don’t take orders from Pristina, president says However, he stressed that he would not allow Pristina to decide whether he would go to Kosovo or not. “I am not going to Gracanica for Christmas. I will not have Pristina deciding whether I can go to our Kosovo. It is obvious that EULEX is waiting for the Pristina authorities to approve it,” the president said on Sunday. He told Belgrade tabloid Kurir that he would have to change his attitude toward EULEX and Brussels because of this. Nikolic pointed out that EULEX had once again shown that it was not status neutral and that it did what Pristina said. “They did not let me to go to Kosovo while I was an opposition representative and they do not let me go now that I am a Serbian president,” he stressed. Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said on Friday that the Kosovo institutions did not allow Nikolic’s visit to Kosovo on Christmas Day, January 7. Kuci said that the Serbian president would be able to visit Kosovo once reciprocity had been secured and when Kosovo Albanian leaders were allowed to visit ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia. Nikolic’s press office said in a release on Friday that the president sent a request to EULEX Mission in Pristina on December 28. Pristina-based Albanian language daily Express, however, writes that Nikolic sent the request to the EU Office in Belgrade which forwarded it to EU Special Envoy in Kosovo Samuel Zbogar who then sent it to the Kosovo government. Tomislav Nikolic (Beta, file) Beta

I don’t take orders from Priština, president says

However, he stressed that he would not allow Priština to decide whether he would go to Kosovo or not.

“I am not going to Gračanica for Christmas. I will not have Priština deciding whether I can go to our Kosovo. It is obvious that EULEX is waiting for the Priština authorities to approve it,” the president said on Sunday.

He told Belgrade tabloid Kurir that he would have to change his attitude toward EULEX and Brussels because of this.

Nikolić pointed out that EULEX had once again shown that it was not status neutral and that it did what Priština said.

“They did not let me to go to Kosovo while I was an opposition representative and they do not let me go now that I am a Serbian president,” he stressed.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said on Friday that the Kosovo institutions did not allow Nikolić’s visit to Kosovo on Christmas Day, January 7.

Kuci said that the Serbian president would be able to visit Kosovo once reciprocity had been secured and when Kosovo Albanian leaders were allowed to visit ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia.

Nikolić’s press office said in a release on Friday that the president sent a request to EULEX Mission in Priština on December 28.

Priština-based Albanian language daily Express, however, writes that Nikolić sent the request to the EU Office in Belgrade which forwarded it to EU Special Envoy in Kosovo Samuel Žbogar who then sent it to the Kosovo government.