Minister again criticizes referendum in north

The Serbian government has not yet discussed whether to hold parliamentary elections in Kosovo as well, says Kosovo Minister Goran Bogdanovic. But, he added, it is a fact that Serbian institutions are the backbone of the survival of our people in the province. Minister again criticizes referendum in north "For that reason we must invest all our energy into preserving those institutions, but it is also necessary to rationalize them, because we cannot hold elections in municipalities where no Serbs live," he told Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. It is unnecessary, he continued, for the state "to finance the whole apparatus" in such towns. Bogdanovic once again addressed the issue of a planner referendum in the Serb north to say its holding would be "damaging": "Representatives of local self-governments who are organizing the referendum must take the consequences, above all political in nature, because they cannot be representatives of the people to whose detriment they are working," asserted the minister. The referendum, planned for February 14 and 15, is meant to have the Serbs north of the Ibar River, where they are the majority, officially reject the Kosovo Albanian institutions in Pristina. Bogdanovic accused local leaders there of "caring more about partisan and personal interests than those of the citizens and the state", an that their actions "could have consequences for much more numerable Serbs south of the Ibar River who are afraid that the referendum will leave them aside and hand them over to Kosovo institutions". Serbs in the south live in isolated enclaves. "It is necessary that all decisions made by the government be carried out in the whole territory of Kosovo and Metohija which we consider a part of Serbia. The referendum is a selfish decision toward Serbs in the rest of the country as well who are setting aside funds for the survival of us in Kosovo and Metohija," said Bogdanovic. As for the ongoing EU-sponsored Kosovo talks, and the issue of representation of Pristina, he said the other side was rejecting "all our constructive solutions and stalling on purpose, wishing to diminish our chances of becoming a candidate (for EU membership". "Squeezing out UN Resolution 1244 is unacceptable for us. I hope the EU mediator will apply pressure on Pristina to accept a compromise that would mark Kosovo with a footnote that would be neutral in its approach," the minister concluded. Goran Bogdanovic (Tanjug, file) Vecernje novosti

Minister again criticizes referendum in north

"For that reason we must invest all our energy into preserving those institutions, but it is also necessary to rationalize them, because we cannot hold elections in municipalities where no Serbs live," he told Belgrade daily Večernje Novosti.

It is unnecessary, he continued, for the state "to finance the whole apparatus" in such towns.

Bogdanović once again addressed the issue of a planner referendum in the Serb north to say its holding would be "damaging":

"Representatives of local self-governments who are organizing the referendum must take the consequences, above all political in nature, because they cannot be representatives of the people to whose detriment they are working," asserted the minister.

The referendum, planned for February 14 and 15, is meant to have the Serbs north of the Ibar River, where they are the majority, officially reject the Kosovo Albanian institutions in Priština.

Bogdanović accused local leaders there of "caring more about partisan and personal interests than those of the citizens and the state", an that their actions "could have consequences for much more numerable Serbs south of the Ibar River who are afraid that the referendum will leave them aside and hand them over to Kosovo institutions".

Serbs in the south live in isolated enclaves.

"It is necessary that all decisions made by the government be carried out in the whole territory of Kosovo and Metohija which we consider a part of Serbia. The referendum is a selfish decision toward Serbs in the rest of the country as well who are setting aside funds for the survival of us in Kosovo and Metohija," said Bogdanović.

As for the ongoing EU-sponsored Kosovo talks, and the issue of representation of Priština, he said the other side was rejecting "all our constructive solutions and stalling on purpose, wishing to diminish our chances of becoming a candidate (for EU membership".

"Squeezing out UN Resolution 1244 is unacceptable for us. I hope the EU mediator will apply pressure on Priština to accept a compromise that would mark Kosovo with a footnote that would be neutral in its approach," the minister concluded.