Belgrade in cooperation talks with UNMIK

The UN office in Belgrade is in talks with the Serbian authorities over the future cooperation with UNMIK, it has been confirmed. Deputy Minister for Kosovo Dusan Prorokovic told B92 that the government in its last session adopted a document that represents a basis for such discussions. Belgrade in cooperation talks with UNMIK He also said the negotiations are meant to solve technical problems that arose in the Serb-inhabited areas after Kosovo's Albanians unilaterally declared independence on Feb. 17. Those problems were identified in the sectors of judiciary, police and customs. A series of protest and incidents, including the deadly clashes in Kosovska Mitrovica on March 17, occurred in the meantime. Prorokovic now say that an agreement on these issues would satisfy "both sides". "All I can say is that this kind of conversation is best led via usual diplomatic channels, rather than through the press and domestic and international media. There are many technical problems in the field, that occurred after Feb. 17. These problems and these issues are impossible to solve without cooperation between Belgrade and UNMIK," he said. But Prorokovic also said he had no mandate to reveal the details of the talks. "You can see for yourselves how many questions have opened since Feb. 17 until today – one by one they must be solved, and solving these issues must help the Serbs and other non-Albanians who live in Kosovo. When you define an agreement, you cannot make a list of all the problems and all the questions. Such agreements are most often general, amended with annexes, and that's the subject of discussions set to continue for weeks, perhaps months to come," Prorokovic explained. UNMIK spokesman in Pristina Sven Lindholm said that the negotiations have started, and that they concern unblocking UNMIK's mandate on the part of Serbia. "The United Nations seat in New York has asked the Belgrade office to seek solutions with the Serbian government, because of the constant undermining of UNMIK's mandate. UNMIK itself is not included in these negotiations. Nobody is circumvented or undermined with these talks. It is not about UNMIK's office in Belgrade. The UN office in Belgrade is politically independent from UNMIK. In political matters, it reports directly to New York," Lindholm was quoted. Last week, some Albanian language media in Pristina reported that it was UNMIK's Belgrade office that conducted the negotiations, and also carried comments by the Kosovo Albanian leadership who were concerned over this alleged development. Meanwhile in Belgrade, Dusan Janjic of the Forum for Ethical Relations says that the subject of the talks is a proposal submitted by Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic, which, in his opinion, falls considerably outside the boundaries of official Belgrade's Kosovo policy. "I have information that attempts are made to make [Joachim] Ruecker and Larry Rossin accept any part of the paper that Samardzic sent on March 16. This is happening via UNMIK, more precisely its Belgrade office, and I have to say, some Slavic brothers inside UNMIK," he was quoted as saying. "Tadic knew nothing about the Samardzic proposal. In fact, this is an attempt for Serbia to exercise effective governance for the first time since 1999, meaning, executive governing over the territory inhabited by the Serbs in the enclaves," Janjic said. The so-called functional separation agreement was sent to the UN in March. Political parties in Belgrade at the time argued over the move, with the Democrats (DS) saying that their leader and Serbian President Boris Tadic was unaware of the move. UNMIK has sent the proposal to New York – no official answer has been received by Belgrade to date. Meanwhile, Tanjug news agency said today that head of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Jean-Marie Guehenno will visit Belgrade and Pristina by the end of the month. Guehenno will meet with a number of officials to discuss the developments in Kosovo, particularly the fate of UNMIK after the province unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia the agency has learned from the UN Headquarters in New York. The exact date of Guehenno's arrival to Belgrade has not been set yet, but DPKO officials said that the ranking official of the world organization will arrive in the Balkans in two weeks' time to begin talks with the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina. Guehenno's visit to was officially announced two weeks ago, but DPKO officials were unable to say why the trip had been postponed. Guehenno will visit Belgrade and Pristina in the capacity of head of the DPKO, the officials told Tanjug, thus distancing themselves from unofficial announcements that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was seriously considering the possibility to appoint the French official as a special envoy in Kosovo, whose task would be to help find the way out of the dead end UNMIK, the European Union, Kosovo Albanians and Serbs have found themselves in.

Belgrade in cooperation talks with UNMIK

He also said the negotiations are meant to solve technical problems that arose in the Serb-inhabited areas after Kosovo's Albanians unilaterally declared independence on Feb. 17.

Those problems were identified in the sectors of judiciary, police and customs. A series of protest and incidents, including the deadly clashes in Kosovska Mitrovica on March 17, occurred in the meantime.

Proroković now say that an agreement on these issues would satisfy "both sides".

"All I can say is that this kind of conversation is best led via usual diplomatic channels, rather than through the press and domestic and international media. There are many technical problems in the field, that occurred after Feb. 17. These problems and these issues are impossible to solve without cooperation between Belgrade and UNMIK," he said.

But Proroković also said he had no mandate to reveal the details of the talks.

"You can see for yourselves how many questions have opened since Feb. 17 until today – one by one they must be solved, and solving these issues must help the Serbs and other non-Albanians who live in Kosovo. When you define an agreement, you cannot make a list of all the problems and all the questions. Such agreements are most often general, amended with annexes, and that's the subject of discussions set to continue for weeks, perhaps months to come," Proroković explained.

UNMIK spokesman in Priština Sven Lindholm said that the negotiations have started, and that they concern unblocking UNMIK's mandate on the part of Serbia.

"The United Nations seat in New York has asked the Belgrade office to seek solutions with the Serbian government, because of the constant undermining of UNMIK's mandate. UNMIK itself is not included in these negotiations. Nobody is circumvented or undermined with these talks. It is not about UNMIK's office in Belgrade. The UN office in Belgrade is politically independent from UNMIK. In political matters, it reports directly to New York," Lindholm was quoted.

Last week, some Albanian language media in Priština reported that it was UNMIK's Belgrade office that conducted the negotiations, and also carried comments by the Kosovo Albanian leadership who were concerned over this alleged development.

Meanwhile in Belgrade, Dušan Janjić of the Forum for Ethical Relations says that the subject of the talks is a proposal submitted by Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić, which, in his opinion, falls considerably outside the boundaries of official Belgrade's Kosovo policy.

"I have information that attempts are made to make [Joachim] Ruecker and Larry Rossin accept any part of the paper that Samardžić sent on March 16. This is happening via UNMIK, more precisely its Belgrade office, and I have to say, some Slavic brothers inside UNMIK," he was quoted as saying.

"Tadić knew nothing about the Samardžić proposal. In fact, this is an attempt for Serbia to exercise effective governance for the first time since 1999, meaning, executive governing over the territory inhabited by the Serbs in the enclaves," Janjić said.

The so-called functional separation agreement was sent to the UN in March. Political parties in Belgrade at the time argued over the move, with the Democrats (DS) saying that their leader and Serbian President Boris Tadić was unaware of the move.

UNMIK has sent the proposal to New York – no official answer has been received by Belgrade to date.

Meanwhile, Tanjug news agency said today that head of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Jean-Marie Guehenno will visit Belgrade and Priština by the end of the month.

Guehenno will meet with a number of officials to discuss the developments in Kosovo, particularly the fate of UNMIK after the province unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia the agency has learned from the UN Headquarters in New York.

The exact date of Guehenno's arrival to Belgrade has not been set yet, but DPKO officials said that the ranking official of the world organization will arrive in the Balkans in two weeks' time to begin talks with the authorities in Belgrade and Priština.

Guehenno's visit to was officially announced two weeks ago, but DPKO officials were unable to say why the trip had been postponed.

Guehenno will visit Belgrade and Priština in the capacity of head of the DPKO, the officials told Tanjug, thus distancing themselves from unofficial announcements that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was seriously considering the possibility to appoint the French official as a special envoy in Kosovo, whose task would be to help find the way out of the dead end UNMIK, the European Union, Kosovo Albanians and Serbs have found themselves in.