"Status neutrality of EULEX is imperative"

"Status neutrality of EULEX is imperative"

Đurić told reporters that Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as independent and that the presence of international missions in the province was "necessary to strengthen the rule of law, and not to resolve status issues."

“For that reason the status neutrality of EULEX is an imperative for us,” said Đurić, pointing out that the Kosovo and Metohija Serbs do not accept the administrative line as a state border.

He noted that he discussed with Meucci the numerous problems faced by the Serb community in the province, countless incidents, ethnically motivated attacks and murders and a great number of criminals at large.

There are many problems regarding the credibility of EULEX and I wish that Meucci succeeds in solving them, but it will not be easy considering the situation that he encountered, said Đurić, stressing that the Serbs in the province need stability and the rule of law.

He underlined the importance of honoring the part of the Brussels Agreement related to the establishment of courts in Serb-majority municipalities staffed with Serb judges and prosecutors.

"The moment when our people no longer see their political leaders in prison while criminals sit freely in nearby cafes, we will be able to say that we are closer to fulfilling the mandate and realizing the goals not only of the international community but of all those who want the situation in Kosovo-Metohija to normalize, and Serbia is certainly one of them. Until that happens, we cannot expect the Serb community to change its approach to EULEX", he said.

Đurić said that he discussed with Meucci the cases of arrested Serbs - Oliver Ivanović, Stevan Vulović, Slaviša Ristić - and the justified concerns regarding those cases, stressing that “it is not normal for anyone to be behind bars for so long in such a way”.

Serbia will continue to use all the available political and diplomatic instruments to help them, and this includes political pressure and domestic and international legal guarantees, he said.

Đurić and Meucci also discussed the setting up of a war crimes court that would bring to justice all those responsible for the crimes committed in Kosovo and Metohija by the terrorist so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army" (KLA).

“We wish success to EULEX and Meucci and we are ready to help them change the difficult situation they encountered,” said Đurić, stressing that EULEX should act in the entire territory of Kosovo and Metohija and use its authority to put an end to organized crime.