“Govt. to decide on implementation plan by week’s end”

BELGRADE Serbia’s PM Ivica Dacic says the government will tomorrow or the day after decide on a draft text of a plan for the implementation of the Brussels agreement. The Serbian government will inform EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy about its decision by the end of the week. “Govt. to decide on implementation plan by week’s end” After a meeting with Finnish Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen, the Serbian prime minister told reporters that the text that was harmonized last night in Brussels consisted of several parts. The first part focuses on the legislation, i.e. which laws should be changed on both sides. “When I say this, you have to understand that this plan does not go into details but it determines deadlines and actions that we need to do. A joint working group will be formed first and each side will propose which laws should be changed and within what deadline. Deadlines are very short because it is important to implement it and it is impossible to do it if the laws are not changed,” Dacic pointed out. Commenting on the Community of Serb Municipalities, he said that it should be formed after local elections in October. “We have requested that a founding, constitutive board exists until then that would do some things until the Community is chosen after the elections. And that has been accepted. They call it ‘management team’ that will consist of representatives of four northern Kosovo municipalities. They will prepare a draft statute, propose an acting police commander in the north and perform some other duties from article 4,” the prime minister explained. A working group will be formed for the local elections that will together with OSCE define basic elements – eligible voters, electoral lists and other issues. “In the end, we have the issue of some general regulations that refer to the transparency of the financing,” Dacic noted, adding that Belgrade “does not finance anything so it is not a disputable issue”. “Serbia and representatives of the Pristina authorities are obligated to implement what was agreed and that the dialogue will continue on issues such as missing persons, property, displaced persons and number of Serbs in the central government,“ he said and added that energy and telecommunications were not a part of the plan and that a special working group would deal with the two issues. According to him, the main goal is to make sure that Serbs working in Kosovo do not lose their jobs, to offer them enough jobs in structures that should be integrated or transformed. “It has been confirmed that ethnic structure will be respected in police and judiciary,” the prime minister pointed out and added that it meant that it was a “basic thing to offer someone who works for the police or judiciary a job in the place of their residence. “It is very important to us that the plan is adopted so we can move forward and that is to expect to get a date (for the beginning of the EU accession negotiations) at the EU Council session in June,” he pointed out. “You heard (German Foreign Minister Guido) Westerwelle here. If we have the implementation plan and if we do what it envisages, Germany will be in favor of granting us a date. I am going to hold him to what he said here,” Dacic said. He stressed that it was very important for northern Kosovo Serbs to participate in the implementation of the Brussels agreement and that the international community did not believe that Belgrade could not influence them. When asked what would happen if political leaders of northern Kosovo Serbs boycotted the process, the prime minister said that a “joint approach” was very important. “They are free not to participate in the local elections but the Community will then consist of (Kosovo PM Hashim) Thaci’s Serbs. If that is in the interest of the Serbian people, go for it,” Dacic said and concluded that “it is clear to everybody where this ship is headed – you are either on it or we will not exist”. According to the prime minister, a part of the harmonized text of the implementation plan refers to Serb municipalities in Kosovo but it “mostly refers to the state of Serbia”. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug) Tanjug

“Govt. to decide on implementation plan by week’s end”

After a meeting with Finnish Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen, the Serbian prime minister told reporters that the text that was harmonized last night in Brussels consisted of several parts.

The first part focuses on the legislation, i.e. which laws should be changed on both sides.

“When I say this, you have to understand that this plan does not go into details but it determines deadlines and actions that we need to do. A joint working group will be formed first and each side will propose which laws should be changed and within what deadline. Deadlines are very short because it is important to implement it and it is impossible to do it if the laws are not changed,” Dačić pointed out.

Commenting on the Community of Serb Municipalities, he said that it should be formed after local elections in October.

“We have requested that a founding, constitutive board exists until then that would do some things until the Community is chosen after the elections. And that has been accepted. They call it ‘management team’ that will consist of representatives of four northern Kosovo municipalities. They will prepare a draft statute, propose an acting police commander in the north and perform some other duties from article 4,” the prime minister explained.

A working group will be formed for the local elections that will together with OSCE define basic elements – eligible voters, electoral lists and other issues.

“In the end, we have the issue of some general regulations that refer to the transparency of the financing,” Dačić noted, adding that Belgrade “does not finance anything so it is not a disputable issue”.

“Serbia and representatives of the Priština authorities are obligated to implement what was agreed and that the dialogue will continue on issues such as missing persons, property, displaced persons and number of Serbs in the central government,“ he said and added that energy and telecommunications were not a part of the plan and that a special working group would deal with the two issues.

According to him, the main goal is to make sure that Serbs working in Kosovo do not lose their jobs, to offer them enough jobs in structures that should be integrated or transformed.

“It has been confirmed that ethnic structure will be respected in police and judiciary,” the prime minister pointed out and added that it meant that it was a “basic thing to offer someone who works for the police or judiciary a job in the place of their residence.

“It is very important to us that the plan is adopted so we can move forward and that is to expect to get a date (for the beginning of the EU accession negotiations) at the EU Council session in June,” he pointed out.

“You heard (German Foreign Minister Guido) Westerwelle here. If we have the implementation plan and if we do what it envisages, Germany will be in favor of granting us a date. I am going to hold him to what he said here,” Dačić said.

He stressed that it was very important for northern Kosovo Serbs to participate in the implementation of the Brussels agreement and that the international community did not believe that Belgrade could not influence them.

When asked what would happen if political leaders of northern Kosovo Serbs boycotted the process, the prime minister said that a “joint approach” was very important.

“They are free not to participate in the local elections but the Community will then consist of (Kosovo PM Hashim) Thaci’s Serbs. If that is in the interest of the Serbian people, go for it,” Dačić said and concluded that “it is clear to everybody where this ship is headed – you are either on it or we will not exist”.

According to the prime minister, a part of the harmonized text of the implementation plan refers to Serb municipalities in Kosovo but it “mostly refers to the state of Serbia”.