No border crossings with Kosovo, official says

BELGRADE Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo Director Aleksandar Vulin has stated that the Albanian side intends to turn the administrative line into a border. He stressed, however, that it would be impossible to set up border crossings. No border crossings with Kosovo, official says “Border crossings are not possible. There is only UNMIK customs for us, because it has never been abolished. I do not know the Kosovo customs,” Vulin told daily Vecernje novosti. “If we accepted that Serbia’s tax representatives and representatives of the interim institutions in Pristina were equal in rights and obligations at the crossings, then what would be the use of EULEX and UNMIK,” he stressed and assessed that representatives of a sovereign state and interim institutions could not have equal rights. “We need to insist on the status neutrality and there is none if our people are forced to pay taxes to Pristina and register their firms there, in accordance with Albanian laws,” the Office for Kosovo director underscored. He also expressed expectation that Kosovo’s status would be discussed in the direct negotiations with Pristina but added that there was concern that the Albanians would do everything in order to avoid the talks. According to Vulin, the end of the supervised independence is a tragic mistake “because it sends a signal to Pristina that they got everything and that they do not need the negotiations”. “But the international community is aware that nothing is done in Kosovo. Rest assured that those will not be negotiations in which results will be known in advance and that our role will be reduced to us saying ‘we agree with everything you unilaterally decided’,” Vulin pointed out. He said that it was still early to talk about the format of the negotiations and that it would not wise to reveal everything right away while there was a “wall of silence on the other side”. “Our president said everything at the UN rostrum that Pristina representatives will never take. We should appreciate his courage because he is ready to take the responsibility while the previous government was hiding behind its officials. We are certainly not starting the negotiations with a state but with representatives of the interim institutions of the self-government in Pristina,” Vulin added. When asked whether the EU could be trusted as a mediator, he said that there were five important countries in the EU that did not consider Kosovo a state. “According to the (UN Security Council) Resolution 1244, nothing is finished because all institutions in Kosovo need to be status neutral. We expect that from those who offer us good services in the negotiations and from the whole international community,” he was quoted as saying. Vulin pointed out that Serbia wanted the UN to assume a more active role. Commenting on statements on the partition of Kosovo, he said that it was impossible under the Serbian Constitution and that the international community did not accept it either. When asked about the two Germanies model, he explained that it had an essential flaw because Germans lived in both Germanies and “neither western nor eastern Germans had to be afraid that their compatriots in the other state would be killed or that their properties would be taken away from them”. When asked whether Serbia was moving toward the recognition of Kosovo, Vulin said that “Serbia was doing so but it won’t do it anymore”. He also rejected a possibility that the Serbian institutions in Kosovo could be abolished, explaining that the Constitution and the situation in the field did not allow it. “The unemployment rate both south and north of the Ibar River is horrific. If we abolish the institutions, our people will either starve to death or move to central Serbia. Who can come up with a genius idea to leave them without bread,” Vulin wondered. Aleksandar Vulin (file) Tanjug Vecernje novosti

No border crossings with Kosovo, official says

“Border crossings are not possible. There is only UNMIK customs for us, because it has never been abolished. I do not know the Kosovo customs,” Vulin told daily Večernje novosti.

“If we accepted that Serbia’s tax representatives and representatives of the interim institutions in Priština were equal in rights and obligations at the crossings, then what would be the use of EULEX and UNMIK,” he stressed and assessed that representatives of a sovereign state and interim institutions could not have equal rights.

“We need to insist on the status neutrality and there is none if our people are forced to pay taxes to Priština and register their firms there, in accordance with Albanian laws,” the Office for Kosovo director underscored.

He also expressed expectation that Kosovo’s status would be discussed in the direct negotiations with Priština but added that there was concern that the Albanians would do everything in order to avoid the talks.

According to Vulin, the end of the supervised independence is a tragic mistake “because it sends a signal to Priština that they got everything and that they do not need the negotiations”.

“But the international community is aware that nothing is done in Kosovo. Rest assured that those will not be negotiations in which results will be known in advance and that our role will be reduced to us saying ‘we agree with everything you unilaterally decided’,” Vulin pointed out.

He said that it was still early to talk about the format of the negotiations and that it would not wise to reveal everything right away while there was a “wall of silence on the other side”.

“Our president said everything at the UN rostrum that Priština representatives will never take. We should appreciate his courage because he is ready to take the responsibility while the previous government was hiding behind its officials. We are certainly not starting the negotiations with a state but with representatives of the interim institutions of the self-government in Priština,” Vulin added.

When asked whether the EU could be trusted as a mediator, he said that there were five important countries in the EU that did not consider Kosovo a state.

“According to the (UN Security Council) Resolution 1244, nothing is finished because all institutions in Kosovo need to be status neutral. We expect that from those who offer us good services in the negotiations and from the whole international community,” he was quoted as saying.

Vulin pointed out that Serbia wanted the UN to assume a more active role.

Commenting on statements on the partition of Kosovo, he said that it was impossible under the Serbian Constitution and that the international community did not accept it either.

When asked about the two Germanies model, he explained that it had an essential flaw because Germans lived in both Germanies and “neither western nor eastern Germans had to be afraid that their compatriots in the other state would be killed or that their properties would be taken away from them”.

When asked whether Serbia was moving toward the recognition of Kosovo, Vulin said that “Serbia was doing so but it won’t do it anymore”.

He also rejected a possibility that the Serbian institutions in Kosovo could be abolished, explaining that the Constitution and the situation in the field did not allow it.

“The unemployment rate both south and north of the Ibar River is horrific. If we abolish the institutions, our people will either starve to death or move to central Serbia. Who can come up with a genius idea to leave them without bread,” Vulin wondered.