No agreement at Committee on Kosovo session

The deals reached in the last round of the Kosovo dialogue were criticized today by both the opposition and the ruling coalition in the Serbian parliament. At a stormy session of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija, which began around 11:00 CET on Friday in Belgrade and ended this afternoon without any agreement, the participants criticized the agreements on cadastre, general registers and the freedom of movement. No agreement at Committee on Kosovo session According to MPs of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), who exhaustively enumerated remarks about the reached agreements, all of them are leading to the recognition of Kosovo's independence. SRS MPs said that chief of the negotiating team Borislav Stafanovic should be held accountable for, as they put it, the violation of the Serbian Constitution. MPs of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) also demanded that conclusions of the joint session of the northern Kosovo municipalities be discussed, stating that this conclusions are in keeping with the party's policy towards Kosovo. The ruling majority also criticized the agreements. MPs of the United Regions of Serbia and the Democratic Party from Kosovo pointed out that the agreements should not be accepted, since they are leading towards Kosovo's recognition and threatening the survival of Serbs in the province. The session was also attended by Stefanovic, Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanovic, State Secretary of the Ministry Oliver Ivanovic, as well as Head of Kosovska Mitrovica District Radenko Nedeljkovic, and the municipal presidents of the four northern Kosovo municipalities. The session was dedicated to the last round of the dialogue with Pristina held in Brussels in early September and the agreements reached then. (Tanjug) Serbs do not accept deals The representatives of Serbs in northern Kosovo-Metohija stated at the Serbian parliament on Friday that they do not accept agreements reached by the Belgrade negotiation team in the dialogue with Pristina, and particularly not the proposal of solutions for administrative crossings of Jarinje and Brnjak, that is an integrated border management. At the session of the parliament Committee on Kosovo-Metohija which started at 11 am today, presidents of four municipalities from northern Kosovo pointed out that there is absolute unity among the Serbs in the north of the province, and requested from Belgrade to support their fight for surviving in Kosovo. Zubin Potok municipal president Slavisa Ristic said that the largest part of the agreements reached in Brussels is unacceptable for the citizens and the local government in the north, adding that the agreements would be detrimental for Serbia as well. "After being criticized that we (Serbs from northern Kosovo and municipal presidents) are pursuing the state policy, we have to say that it not true, as we want to carry out a policy based on the Serbian Constitution," Ristic said, adding that the aim is to preserve the right to be citizens of Serbia. According to him, Serbs from northern Kosovo neither want to prevent Serbia from following the path of EU integration, nor allow Kosovo to be the price for EU accession. Three other municipal presidents agreed with Ristic regarding the unacceptability of the implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels, and especially the solutions proposed for administrative crossings. At the Committee session, the municipal presidents criticized head of the Belgrade team Borislav Stefanovic, who, as they claim, is trying to bring disunity among the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija. "Hopes of disunity" Head of the Belgrade team in the dialogue with Pristina Borislav Stefanovic told the presidents of four municipalities in northern Kosovo on Friday that they do not have the possibility to veto the decisions of the Serbian government, that political entities within the state are not separated, adding that all agreements reached in Brussels will be carried out. At the session of the parliament Committee on Kosovo-Metohija, Stefanovic responded to the municipal presidents' position they will not support the agreements reached in Brussels, that they do not represent all the Serbs in the province. "It is not true that municipal presidents represent all those citizens. There are no separate political entities within the state. There is no veto of municipal presidents, or their platform, only vice versa, and that is the Serbian government, budget and laws," Stefanovic stressed. He said the Serbian government has huge support of the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, particularly those south of the Ibar River, adding that solutions achieved in the dialogue so far, even though not everybody likes them, offered alternative to those people. "We know that some people will not like the solutions, but they will most certainly be implemented, and they are also in accordance with the law," Stefanovic said. He dismissed all the criticisms and accusations stated at the session, and told the opposition representatives to propose some solutions, instead of criticizing all the time. Stefanovic stressed that Belgrade will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, nor has ever helped the functioning of an independent state of Kosovo. He also denied there are disagreements within the Serbian government, and told the opposition and ruling coalition MPs living in Kosovo-Metohija that they will be assured of it once the other provisions are adopted. "Your hopes of disunity are vain," Stefanovic said. The administrative line was never a state line, Stefanovic reiterated several times, adding that Kosovo-Metohija was separated from Serbia by the Kumanovo Agreement and Resolution 1244, and that Serbia has a possibility of governing but one part of northern Kosovo. "By the will of UNMIK, Security Council and large powers, Kosovo-Metohija has been gaining statehood prerogatives since 1999. That is a reality," he underlined.

No agreement at Committee on Kosovo session

According to MPs of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), who exhaustively enumerated remarks about the reached agreements, all of them are leading to the recognition of Kosovo's independence.

SRS MPs said that chief of the negotiating team Borislav Stafanović should be held accountable for, as they put it, the violation of the Serbian Constitution.

MPs of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) also demanded that conclusions of the joint session of the northern Kosovo municipalities be discussed, stating that this conclusions are in keeping with the party's policy towards Kosovo.

The ruling majority also criticized the agreements.

MPs of the United Regions of Serbia and the Democratic Party from Kosovo pointed out that the agreements should not be accepted, since they are leading towards Kosovo's recognition and threatening the survival of Serbs in the province.

The session was also attended by Stefanović, Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanović, State Secretary of the Ministry Oliver Ivanović, as well as Head of Kosovska Mitrovica District Radenko Nedeljković, and the municipal presidents of the four northern Kosovo municipalities.

The session was dedicated to the last round of the dialogue with Priština held in Brussels in early September and the agreements reached then.

Serbs do not accept deals

The representatives of Serbs in northern Kosovo-Metohija stated at the Serbian parliament on Friday that they do not accept agreements reached by the Belgrade negotiation team in the dialogue with Priština, and particularly not the proposal of solutions for administrative crossings of Jarinje and Brnjak, that is an integrated border management.

At the session of the parliament Committee on Kosovo-Metohija which started at 11 am today, presidents of four municipalities from northern Kosovo pointed out that there is absolute unity among the Serbs in the north of the province, and requested from Belgrade to support their fight for surviving in Kosovo.

Zubin Potok municipal president Slaviša Ristić said that the largest part of the agreements reached in Brussels is unacceptable for the citizens and the local government in the north, adding that the agreements would be detrimental for Serbia as well.

"After being criticized that we (Serbs from northern Kosovo and municipal presidents) are pursuing the state policy, we have to say that it not true, as we want to carry out a policy based on the Serbian Constitution," Ristić said, adding that the aim is to preserve the right to be citizens of Serbia.

According to him, Serbs from northern Kosovo neither want to prevent Serbia from following the path of EU integration, nor allow Kosovo to be the price for EU accession.

Three other municipal presidents agreed with Ristić regarding the unacceptability of the implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels, and especially the solutions proposed for administrative crossings.

At the Committee session, the municipal presidents criticized head of the Belgrade team Borislav Stefanovic, who, as they claim, is trying to bring disunity among the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

"Hopes of disunity"

Head of the Belgrade team in the dialogue with Priština Borislav Stefanović told the presidents of four municipalities in northern Kosovo on Friday that they do not have the possibility to veto the decisions of the Serbian government, that political entities within the state are not separated, adding that all agreements reached in Brussels will be carried out.

At the session of the parliament Committee on Kosovo-Metohija, Stefanović responded to the municipal presidents' position they will not support the agreements reached in Brussels, that they do not represent all the Serbs in the province.

"It is not true that municipal presidents represent all those citizens. There are no separate political entities within the state. There is no veto of municipal presidents, or their platform, only vice versa, and that is the Serbian government, budget and laws," Stefanović stressed.

He said the Serbian government has huge support of the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, particularly those south of the Ibar River, adding that solutions achieved in the dialogue so far, even though not everybody likes them, offered alternative to those people.

"We know that some people will not like the solutions, but they will most certainly be implemented, and they are also in accordance with the law," Stefanović said.

He dismissed all the criticisms and accusations stated at the session, and told the opposition representatives to propose some solutions, instead of criticizing all the time.

Stefanović stressed that Belgrade will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, nor has ever helped the functioning of an independent state of Kosovo.

He also denied there are disagreements within the Serbian government, and told the opposition and ruling coalition MPs living in Kosovo-Metohija that they will be assured of it once the other provisions are adopted.

"Your hopes of disunity are vain," Stefanović said.

The administrative line was never a state line, Stefanović reiterated several times, adding that Kosovo-Metohija was separated from Serbia by the Kumanovo Agreement and Resolution 1244, and that Serbia has a possibility of governing but one part of northern Kosovo.

"By the will of UNMIK, Security Council and large powers, Kosovo-Metohija has been gaining statehood prerogatives since 1999. That is a reality," he underlined.