Ivanović: We keep UNMIK alive

Oliver Ivanovic says the talks between Belgrade and UNMIK are aimed at continued Serb engagement in some sectors. The state secretary with the Ministry for Kosovo specified in an interview with Belgrade daily Politika that these are judiciary, police and customs, and that they should not be linked to EULEX. Ivanovic: We keep UNMIK alive “We are, practically, the ones that are keeping UNMIK alive. These are interest ties. We want UNMIK to maintain certain jurisdictions, and as long as we have UNMIK as a go between we have no need to contact EULEX at the political level,” Ivanovic underlined. “It is a fact that we need UNMIK and it is the only institution that is legal and legitimate. [Ethnic] Albanians, and even the EU, deny it the scope of jurisdictions it is has been given, however, we have no problem in this respect, but hold, on the contrary, that UNMIK should not be deprived of certain jurisdictions so easily, as seems to be happening now under the pressure of the EU,” he said. When asked to comment on belief of some that the talks were helping introduce EULEX through the back door, Ivanovic told Politika's reporter that “this is absolutely not true, and we have nothing to do with EULEX”. “We are preventing that from happening. Bringing EULEX through the back door represents an abolishment of UNMIK sectors one by one and creation of a legal and institutional vacuum, which would be filled up by the only existing international institution." "This is how we keep UNMIK alive and how we offer the legal, lawful framework to a future mission. And now EULEX is saying what it never said before - that it accepts to be under the UNMIK umbrella and to act in keeping with Resolution 1244, and these are the first results of our negotiations and lobbying in the world,” Ivanovic concluded.

Ivanović: We keep UNMIK alive

“We are, practically, the ones that are keeping UNMIK alive. These are interest ties. We want UNMIK to maintain certain jurisdictions, and as long as we have UNMIK as a go between we have no need to contact EULEX at the political level,” Ivanović underlined.

“It is a fact that we need UNMIK and it is the only institution that is legal and legitimate. [Ethnic] Albanians, and even the EU, deny it the scope of jurisdictions it is has been given, however, we have no problem in this respect, but hold, on the contrary, that UNMIK should not be deprived of certain jurisdictions so easily, as seems to be happening now under the pressure of the EU,” he said.

When asked to comment on belief of some that the talks were helping introduce EULEX through the back door, Ivanović told Politika's reporter that “this is absolutely not true, and we have nothing to do with EULEX”.

“We are preventing that from happening. Bringing EULEX through the back door represents an abolishment of UNMIK sectors one by one and creation of a legal and institutional vacuum, which would be filled up by the only existing international institution."

"This is how we keep UNMIK alive and how we offer the legal, lawful framework to a future mission. And now EULEX is saying what it never said before - that it accepts to be under the UNMIK umbrella and to act in keeping with Resolution 1244, and these are the first results of our negotiations and lobbying in the world,” Ivanović concluded.