“Belgrade honestly wants to reach agreement”

BELGRADE Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic says Belgrade “very authentically and honestly” wants to reach “something that could be called an agreement” with Pristina. He told Radio Belgrade that he was hoping that the international community would not blame anyone for the failure of the dialogue in Brussels. “Belgrade honestly wants to reach agreement” “It can happen this time that it is nobody’s fault. This is actually an aspiration, that nobody is responsible for the failure but that we all celebrate some success,” Mrkic noted. He pointed out that “it is more important to reach an agreement that will enable normal life, that will primarily guarantee security to our people in Kosovo and Metohija, that will allow Serbs to concentrate on development issues, normal life issues”. “Only a solid agreement that is absolutely absorbed by the EU can secure that,” the foreign minister explained. He pointed out that it would not only allow Kosovo Serbs to turn to the future and live normal lives but that it would also allow Belgrade to “build quite solid, good relations with Albanians who live in Kosovo in time”. Commenting on ties between Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade if an agreement is reached, Mrkic said that those would be “special ties”. “We will certainly help them in various areas of life – education, health system… The most important thing to us is that police will reflect the composition of the population and that commanders are Serbs, so the entire population there would trust the police. This is only natural,” the minister noted. He assessed that it was not anything special because this was the case in other places in Europe as well. “We are not looking for, I don’t know, some exclusive things. We want to secure conditions so those people there can stay in their homes, develop normally and feel safe. And arrangements with the EU increase the security because they are a part of the whole process and certainly a part of the conclusion of an agreement,” Mrkic stressed. He added that the same should apply to the District Court that should be in the territory of Serb municipalities. “The judiciary will also reflect the composition of the population in places where the courts are established. If we had arrangements that mean that someone’s tanks would not roll into those municipalities the next day, then we would really get closer to a final solution,” the foreign minister concluded. Ivan Mrkic (Tanjug, file) Beta

“Belgrade honestly wants to reach agreement”

“It can happen this time that it is nobody’s fault. This is actually an aspiration, that nobody is responsible for the failure but that we all celebrate some success,” Mrkić noted.

He pointed out that “it is more important to reach an agreement that will enable normal life, that will primarily guarantee security to our people in Kosovo and Metohija, that will allow Serbs to concentrate on development issues, normal life issues”.

“Only a solid agreement that is absolutely absorbed by the EU can secure that,” the foreign minister explained.

He pointed out that it would not only allow Kosovo Serbs to turn to the future and live normal lives but that it would also allow Belgrade to “build quite solid, good relations with Albanians who live in Kosovo in time”.

Commenting on ties between Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade if an agreement is reached, Mrkić said that those would be “special ties”.

“We will certainly help them in various areas of life – education, health system… The most important thing to us is that police will reflect the composition of the population and that commanders are Serbs, so the entire population there would trust the police. This is only natural,” the minister noted.

He assessed that it was not anything special because this was the case in other places in Europe as well.

“We are not looking for, I don’t know, some exclusive things. We want to secure conditions so those people there can stay in their homes, develop normally and feel safe. And arrangements with the EU increase the security because they are a part of the whole process and certainly a part of the conclusion of an agreement,” Mrkić stressed.

He added that the same should apply to the District Court that should be in the territory of Serb municipalities.

“The judiciary will also reflect the composition of the population in places where the courts are established. If we had arrangements that mean that someone’s tanks would not roll into those municipalities the next day, then we would really get closer to a final solution,” the foreign minister concluded.