Another Dačić-Thaci meeting "not ruled out"

BELGRADE Belgrade will "try to prevent Pristina's manipulations with electoral rolls" for the upcoming local elections in Kosovo on November 3, a newspaper writes. The Belgrade-based Vecernje Novosti reported on Thursday that a new meeting between Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci, mediated by EU's Catherine Ashton, has not been ruled out. Another Dacic-Thaci meeting "not ruled out" Working groups set up to tackle issues related to the elections will first try to solve the disputes, as they meet at the EU administration headquarters in Brussels today. Dacic and Thaci could meet again if the working groups fail to reach an agreement, the newspaper writes. MP Milovan Drecun, who heads the parliament committee on Kosovo and Metohija, said that it was "important" for all irregularities that concern electoral rolls to be corrected. "When you add the boycott (of elections) in the north to the fictitious Albanian votes, we face the danger of Pristina establishing its administration in the Serb areas such as Zubin Potok," he was quoted as saying. According to the 2011 census, there are 1,739,825 inhabitants in Kosovo, while the central election commission of Kosovo at this moment operates with the figure of 1,779,357 eligible voters - about 40,000 more than there are inhabitants registered in the census. A member of the commission, Nenad Rikalo, told the daily that "some 55,000 deceased persons have been removed from the rolls" - but that "there are more." "Since the last elections the number of eligible voters increased by almost 200,000. This increase was not influenced by the verification of voters from central Serbia, around 16,000 of which have so far been approved by the commission," he said. The working groups' meeting in Brussels on Thursday will also discuss violations of an agreement reached to allow Serbian officials freedom of movement in Kosovo - after Pristina banned Minister Aleksandar Vulin from accompanying Deputy PM Aleksandar Vucic on his trip to the province. The newspaper also writes that President Tomislav Nikolic "most likely will not travel to Kosovo and Metohija, despite the fact this had been mentioned as an option." (EU, file) Tanjug Vecernje novosti

Another Dačić-Thaci meeting "not ruled out"

Working groups set up to tackle issues related to the elections will first try to solve the disputes, as they meet at the EU administration headquarters in Brussels today.

Dačić and Thaci could meet again if the working groups fail to reach an agreement, the newspaper writes.

MP Milovan Drecun, who heads the parliament committee on Kosovo and Metohija, said that it was "important" for all irregularities that concern electoral rolls to be corrected.

"When you add the boycott (of elections) in the north to the fictitious Albanian votes, we face the danger of Priština establishing its administration in the Serb areas such as Zubin Potok," he was quoted as saying.

According to the 2011 census, there are 1,739,825 inhabitants in Kosovo, while the central election commission of Kosovo at this moment operates with the figure of 1,779,357 eligible voters - about 40,000 more than there are inhabitants registered in the census.

A member of the commission, Nenad Rikalo, told the daily that "some 55,000 deceased persons have been removed from the rolls" - but that "there are more."

"Since the last elections the number of eligible voters increased by almost 200,000. This increase was not influenced by the verification of voters from central Serbia, around 16,000 of which have so far been approved by the commission," he said.

The working groups' meeting in Brussels on Thursday will also discuss violations of an agreement reached to allow Serbian officials freedom of movement in Kosovo - after Priština banned Minister Aleksandar Vulin from accompanying Deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić on his trip to the province.

The newspaper also writes that President Tomislav Nikolić "most likely will not travel to Kosovo and Metohija, despite the fact this had been mentioned as an option."