Referendum not organized by opposition, says mayor

Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić says the north is ready for a referendum and added it will be organized "like local elections in 2010".

Izvor: B92

Monday, 13.02.2012.

12:37

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Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantic says the north is ready for a referendum and added it will be organized "like local elections in 2010". The head of one of four Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo told B92 on Monday that the referendum was "not organized by opposition parties", referring to the fact that all but one northern mayors came from parties that were in theopposition on the state level. Referendum not organized by opposition, says mayor Instead, Pantic said, the voting will be "an expression of the will and desire of all Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to clearly say they will not accept unilateral and violent actions". According to him, the effect of the referendum - to be held this week - will be to "strengthen the Serbian team's negotiating position and lower the pressure exerted on northern Kosovo". The area north of the Ibar River has the majority Serb population, which rejects both the ethnic Albanian unilateral proclamation of independence made four years ago, and the authority of the government in Pristina. The referendum is expected to confirm this. "This is a chance for everyone to be convinced about the mood of the citizens in northern Kosovo, instead of making general appraisals. The position of the negotiating team will be stronger because they will have behind them 70,000 Serbs who have said decisively that they do not want the Kosovo institutions and that they will not accept any unilateral and violent imposition of solutions," said Pantic. The mayor noted that the authorities in Belgrade were against the referendum "because enormous pressure was being exerted on the government and President Boris Tadic", and added that MPs from the ranks of the ruling DS, G17 ad SPS parties who came from Kosovo were all in favor of the plebiscite and said so publicly. "This referendum will strengthen the position of Serbs in the north, as well as of the government and Serbs who live south of the Ibar (in enclaves), because I believe they too will soon organize a referendum and show that none of us has given up on Kosovo and Metohija," said Pantic Krstimir Pantic (Tanjug, file) B92

Referendum not organized by opposition, says mayor

Instead, Pantić said, the voting will be "an expression of the will and desire of all Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to clearly say they will not accept unilateral and violent actions".

According to him, the effect of the referendum - to be held this week - will be to "strengthen the Serbian team's negotiating position and lower the pressure exerted on northern Kosovo".

The area north of the Ibar River has the majority Serb population, which rejects both the ethnic Albanian unilateral proclamation of independence made four years ago, and the authority of the government in Priština. The referendum is expected to confirm this.

"This is a chance for everyone to be convinced about the mood of the citizens in northern Kosovo, instead of making general appraisals. The position of the negotiating team will be stronger because they will have behind them 70,000 Serbs who have said decisively that they do not want the Kosovo institutions and that they will not accept any unilateral and violent imposition of solutions," said Pantić.

The mayor noted that the authorities in Belgrade were against the referendum "because enormous pressure was being exerted on the government and President Boris Tadić", and added that MPs from the ranks of the ruling DS, G17 ad SPS parties who came from Kosovo were all in favor of the plebiscite and said so publicly.

"This referendum will strengthen the position of Serbs in the north, as well as of the government and Serbs who live south of the Ibar (in enclaves), because I believe they too will soon organize a referendum and show that none of us has given up on Kosovo and Metohija," said Pantić

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