Kosovo Serbs urge officials not to sign “detrimental” deals

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA Representatives of northern Kosovo Serbs have called on top state officials not to sign any harmful agreements in Brussels. They added that they would not participate in the implementation of agreements that were not in accordance with the Serbian Constitution. Kosovo Serbs urge officials not to sign “detrimental” deals Councilors of Zvecan, Leposavic, Kosovska Mitrovica and Zubin Potok municipalities are holding a joint session which is also attended by Serbian government's Office for Kosovo Deputy Director Krstimir Pantic and Kosovska Mitrovica District Head Radenko Nedeljkovic. “Nobody in northern Kosovo wants to participate in the implementation of a possible agreement. Let (Serbian PM) Ivica Dacic come, take the agreement he may sign in Brussels and implement it in Kosovo together with (Kosovo PM) Hashim Thaci,” Pantic pointed out. He added that he was afraid that today’s round of the negotiations in Brussels could be a D-Day. “We will not accept anything imposed on us regardless of whether it is by Albanians or the international community. We want to be a part of the EU too, but not as citizens of independent Kosovo but the state of Serbia,” Pantic stressed. Commenting on Thaci’s statement that he could not do anything that was not in accordance with the Constitution, he said that Serbia’s Constitution was older than Kosovo’s and that everybody had an obligation to adhere to it. The main topic of the session is the latest round of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. 92 out of 119 councilors are attending the session. Zvecan Mayor Dragisa Milovic said that nobody had the right to sign an agreement renouncing a part of the territory, an agreement that was contrary to the Serbian Constitution and that was not in accordance with conclusions of the last year’s referendum in northern Kosovo which rejected a possibility of recognizing the Pristina institutions. “What the negotiating team is offered in Brussels is not acceptable to Serbs in Kosovo,” he stressed and expressed concern that the top state officials “will give everything and get nothing” in order to get a date for the start of the EU accession negotiations. Zubin Potok Mayor Slavisa Ristic said that Office for Kosovo Director Aleksandar Vulin had told the four mayors at a meeting on Thursday that Serbia had not been offered anything new in the ninth round of the talks and that media reports were just “spinning ideas”. According to him, Vulin said that he personally would not accept the agreement and that he would continue to fight to keep Kosovo within Serbia together with the Serbian people. Ristic stressed that councilors of the four northern Kosovo municipalities were organizing a petition to launch a referendum so Serbian citizens could say if they were in favor of Kosovo or the EU “because only the people can decide that”. The tenth round of the Belgrade-Pristina talks will be held today in Brussels. Beta

Kosovo Serbs urge officials not to sign “detrimental” deals

Councilors of Zvečan, Leposavić, Kosovska Mitrovica and Zubin Potok municipalities are holding a joint session which is also attended by Serbian government's Office for Kosovo Deputy Director Krstimir Pantić and Kosovska Mitrovica District Head Radenko Nedeljković.

“Nobody in northern Kosovo wants to participate in the implementation of a possible agreement. Let (Serbian PM) Ivica Dačić come, take the agreement he may sign in Brussels and implement it in Kosovo together with (Kosovo PM) Hashim Thaci,” Pantić pointed out.

He added that he was afraid that today’s round of the negotiations in Brussels could be a D-Day.

“We will not accept anything imposed on us regardless of whether it is by Albanians or the international community. We want to be a part of the EU too, but not as citizens of independent Kosovo but the state of Serbia,” Pantić stressed.

Commenting on Thaci’s statement that he could not do anything that was not in accordance with the Constitution, he said that Serbia’s Constitution was older than Kosovo’s and that everybody had an obligation to adhere to it.

The main topic of the session is the latest round of the Belgrade-Priština dialogue. 92 out of 119 councilors are attending the session.

Zvečan Mayor Dragiša Milović said that nobody had the right to sign an agreement renouncing a part of the territory, an agreement that was contrary to the Serbian Constitution and that was not in accordance with conclusions of the last year’s referendum in northern Kosovo which rejected a possibility of recognizing the Priština institutions.

“What the negotiating team is offered in Brussels is not acceptable to Serbs in Kosovo,” he stressed and expressed concern that the top state officials “will give everything and get nothing” in order to get a date for the start of the EU accession negotiations.

Zubin Potok Mayor Slaviša Ristić said that Office for Kosovo Director Aleksandar Vulin had told the four mayors at a meeting on Thursday that Serbia had not been offered anything new in the ninth round of the talks and that media reports were just “spinning ideas”.

According to him, Vulin said that he personally would not accept the agreement and that he would continue to fight to keep Kosovo within Serbia together with the Serbian people.

Ristić stressed that councilors of the four northern Kosovo municipalities were organizing a petition to launch a referendum so Serbian citizens could say if they were in favor of Kosovo or the EU “because only the people can decide that”.

The tenth round of the Belgrade-Priština talks will be held today in Brussels.