"Only community of municipalities was accepted”

BELGRADE A request to form a community of Serb municipalities is the only thing that was accepted in Brussels, Office for Kosovo Deputy Director Krstimir Pantic says. According to him, all other proposals are disputable. "Only community of municipalities was accepted” “Only our request to form a community of Serb municipalities has been accepted, everything else is disputable, starting from the question in accordance with whose laws the community will function, which election system will be implemented, which organs and in accordance with whose laws would be elected and which authorities the community will have,” Pantic explained. “Pristina and the EU advocated a position and insisted that the so-called parallel institutions be abolished during the entire two-day dialogue although they also mentioned the issue of so-called security structures,” he told daily Politika. The Kosovska Mitrovica mayor added that the Belgrade delegation “talked not to one but with two sides, i.e. both with Pristina and the EU, that have an identical stance“. Pantic stated on Thursday that the Serbian delegation did not have an opportunity to propose solutions in Brussels and that the international community and Kosovo Albanians presented their conditions instead. Daily Vecernje novosti writes that top Serbian officials will next week formulate a detailed plan regarding structure and concrete jurisdiction of nine municipalities in Kosovo that would represent a backbone of the Serb community and the document will be presented by Serbian PM Ivica Dacic at the next round of the talks in Brussels. According to the daily’s sources, Belgrade will not allow the existing institutions to be closed until an agreement on new ones has been reached. Dacic told Vecernje novosti that Serbs would have some sort of authority in Kosovo that they would elect their own representatives and protect interests of Serbs. “There has to be a package that would include the existence of the community of Serb municipalities with authorities, election system, that would allow Serbian self-government in Kosovo and Metohija. Only then it will be possible to talk about transforming the Serbian institutions into institutions of the community that all municipalities in which Serbs make up a majority should join, not only those from the north,” the prime minister explained. Commenting on liaison officers, who should start working on March 1, he said: “Pristina wants the liaison officers to have diplomatic immunity which is impossible but some level of protections needs to exist.” Krstimir Pantic (Beta, file) Tanjug

"Only community of municipalities was accepted”

“Only our request to form a community of Serb municipalities has been accepted, everything else is disputable, starting from the question in accordance with whose laws the community will function, which election system will be implemented, which organs and in accordance with whose laws would be elected and which authorities the community will have,” Pantić explained.

“Priština and the EU advocated a position and insisted that the so-called parallel institutions be abolished during the entire two-day dialogue although they also mentioned the issue of so-called security structures,” he told daily Politika.

The Kosovska Mitrovica mayor added that the Belgrade delegation “talked not to one but with two sides, i.e. both with Priština and the EU, that have an identical stance“.

Pantić stated on Thursday that the Serbian delegation did not have an opportunity to propose solutions in Brussels and that the international community and Kosovo Albanians presented their conditions instead.

Daily Večernje novosti writes that top Serbian officials will next week formulate a detailed plan regarding structure and concrete jurisdiction of nine municipalities in Kosovo that would represent a backbone of the Serb community and the document will be presented by Serbian PM Ivica Dačić at the next round of the talks in Brussels.

According to the daily’s sources, Belgrade will not allow the existing institutions to be closed until an agreement on new ones has been reached.

Dačić told Večernje novosti that Serbs would have some sort of authority in Kosovo that they would elect their own representatives and protect interests of Serbs.

“There has to be a package that would include the existence of the community of Serb municipalities with authorities, election system, that would allow Serbian self-government in Kosovo and Metohija. Only then it will be possible to talk about transforming the Serbian institutions into institutions of the community that all municipalities in which Serbs make up a majority should join, not only those from the north,” the prime minister explained.

Commenting on liaison officers, who should start working on March 1, he said:

“Priština wants the liaison officers to have diplomatic immunity which is impossible but some level of protections needs to exist.”