"Proposal harmonized, agreement not signed"

BRUSSELS Aleksandar Vulin has said that a proposal text of an agreement was "harmonized between Belgrade and Pristina on Friday." However, "an agreement will not be signed before the Serbian government and other competent bodies voice their opinion," he added. "Proposal harmonized, agreement not signed" Vulin is the director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and was a member of the Belgrade negotiating team in Brussels on Friday. "The paper initialed by the Serbian prime minister - he wrote only his initials, not his signature - is a final proposal for an agreement on which relevant bodies in Serbia will have their say. I am referring to the government and other institutions of the state of Serbia. An agreement has not been signed, not until the competent bodies say everything they have to say," Vulin told Tanjug. He said the document states that its contents have been acknowledged and it has not been signed. "It literally says that," underlined Vulin. (Tanjug, file) "Difficult, but only right decision" Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Suzana Grubjesic stated on Friday that Belgrade made a difficult but the only right "statesmanlike" decision in Brussels. The initial agreement proposal of Belgrade and Pristina guarantees safety for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, which was an imperative for Belgrade, and it opens room for further dialogue on key issues such as the protection of Serbia's cultural heritage, Serb property and the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo. By the agreement, we managed to protect the minimum of our national interests and contribute to stability in the region, Grubjesic said and noted that it is now up to Serbia's authorities to state their mind on the acceptability of such a solution. Any freezing of conflicts and waiting for a better moment would be self-deception we have seen over the past few years and it proved detrimental to us, Grubjesic said as quoted by her cabinet. The deputy prime minister noted that the initial agreement proposal is an outcome of lengthy and difficult negotiations and that the efforts of all those involved in the process need to be recognized, including High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton who showed great understanding for the needs of Serbia and position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. After a decade of failed expectations and painstaking transition, Serbian citizens deserve to turn to the future, Grubjesic said and added that Serbia needs a clear perspective and a chance for conducting reforms and modernization through the negotiations as other countries before it have done. Tanjug

"Proposal harmonized, agreement not signed"

Vulin is the director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and was a member of the Belgrade negotiating team in Brussels on Friday.

"The paper initialed by the Serbian prime minister - he wrote only his initials, not his signature - is a final proposal for an agreement on which relevant bodies in Serbia will have their say. I am referring to the government and other institutions of the state of Serbia. An agreement has not been signed, not until the competent bodies say everything they have to say," Vulin told Tanjug.

He said the document states that its contents have been acknowledged and it has not been signed.

"It literally says that," underlined Vulin.

"Difficult, but only right decision"

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Suzana Grubješić stated on Friday that Belgrade made a difficult but the only right "statesmanlike" decision in Brussels.

The initial agreement proposal of Belgrade and Priština guarantees safety for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, which was an imperative for Belgrade, and it opens room for further dialogue on key issues such as the protection of Serbia's cultural heritage, Serb property and the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo.

By the agreement, we managed to protect the minimum of our national interests and contribute to stability in the region, Grubješić said and noted that it is now up to Serbia's authorities to state their mind on the acceptability of such a solution.

Any freezing of conflicts and waiting for a better moment would be self-deception we have seen over the past few years and it proved detrimental to us, Grubješić said as quoted by her cabinet.

The deputy prime minister noted that the initial agreement proposal is an outcome of lengthy and difficult negotiations and that the efforts of all those involved in the process need to be recognized, including High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton who showed great understanding for the needs of Serbia and position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

After a decade of failed expectations and painstaking transition, Serbian citizens deserve to turn to the future, Grubješić said and added that Serbia needs a clear perspective and a chance for conducting reforms and modernization through the negotiations as other countries before it have done.