Businessmen end road blockade in Kosovo

ZVECAN North Kosovo businessmen ended a blockade of the Pristina-Raska road in the village of Rudare in Kosovo on Thursday after more than two hours. They are demanding permission to import excise goods exceeding 3.5 tons over the Jarinje crossing and pay taxes "to Serbia instead of Kosovo", Tanjug reported. Businessmen end road blockade in Kosovo “Economic entities, entrepreneurs and citizens ended protests and road blockades in northern Kosovo on Thursday, and expect that Serbia's state bodies and negotiating team in Brussels will respond to their demands,” reads the letter that representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo and Metohija addressed to the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin. In the letter, businessmen back Serbia's state leadership and voice expectation that the Belgrade-Pristina talks in Brussels will result in stability. Businessmen expect that the state bodies and negotiating team will inform all relevant representatives of the international community about their legitimate rights and present appropriate arguments to substantiate that. They also list their demands once again, calling for unhindered supply of goods without taxes being paid to Kosovo institutions, with an emphasis that they are ready to pay taxes to the Republic of Serbia. Businessmen cautioned that if their justified demands are not met, they will step up the protests to the full blockade of all roads leading to northern Kosovo. The distribution of tax revenues collected at administrative crossings is one of the topics of the technical level talks between Belgrade and Pristina that started in Brussels on Thursday morning. Belgrade's stand is that Serbs should not pay any customs duties and excises at the crossings until the issue is resolved, while Pristina insists that the taxes be collected. The Jarinje administrative crossing (B92, file) Tanjug

Businessmen end road blockade in Kosovo

“Economic entities, entrepreneurs and citizens ended protests and road blockades in northern Kosovo on Thursday, and expect that Serbia's state bodies and negotiating team in Brussels will respond to their demands,” reads the letter that representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo and Metohija addressed to the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin.

In the letter, businessmen back Serbia's state leadership and voice expectation that the Belgrade-Priština talks in Brussels will result in stability.

Businessmen expect that the state bodies and negotiating team will inform all relevant representatives of the international community about their legitimate rights and present appropriate arguments to substantiate that.

They also list their demands once again, calling for unhindered supply of goods without taxes being paid to Kosovo institutions, with an emphasis that they are ready to pay taxes to the Republic of Serbia.

Businessmen cautioned that if their justified demands are not met, they will step up the protests to the full blockade of all roads leading to northern Kosovo.

The distribution of tax revenues collected at administrative crossings is one of the topics of the technical level talks between Belgrade and Priština that started in Brussels on Thursday morning.

Belgrade's stand is that Serbs should not pay any customs duties and excises at the crossings until the issue is resolved, while Priština insists that the taxes be collected.