PM expects agreement on contentious issues

BELGRADE Ivica Dacic says he expect the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on August 27 to yield "agreements on conflicting issues and the Brussels agreement implementation." The Serbian prime minister made the statement during his telephone conversation on Wednesday with High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. PM expects agreement on contentious issues Dacic underscored that comprehensive preparations are underway in the organisation of the local elections in the southern province. He expressed the belief that the elections are a major step in the stabilisation of the situation and creation of conditions for sustainable survival of the Serb community, states the release issued by the Serbian government Office for Cooperation with the Media. The new round of the political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will be held in Brussels on August 27, the cabinet of High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton released earlier on Wednesday. According to the release, Ashton had a telephone conversation with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci within the preparations for the next meeting. The high EU representative and the prime ministers will discuss the progress in the implementation of the Brussels agreement (between Belgrade and Pristina), the release states. The previous, 14th round of the dialogue was held in the seat of the European External Action Service on July 24, and the main topic covered the forthcoming elections in Kosovo and Metohija scheduled for November 3. The elections should be in the focus of attention of the forthcoming meeting as well. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic held a meeting with representatives of 25 Kosovo municipalities and heads of districts on Tuesday. Nikolic called on the Serbs to vote in the local elections on November 3 and said that they will bear the responsibility if they decide to boycott the polls, and reiterated that the statement according to which voting in the elections constitutes a recognition of Kosovo's independence was "a major lie." The meeting yielded a unified stand that Serbs should go to elections with a single Serb list. Serbian president's advisor Marko Djuric said that municipalities constituted after the elections would not be the municipalities of the independent state of Kosovo but would rather be Serb municipalities through which Serbs would be able to achieve their rights "in an internationally recognized manner." Dacic is seem in Belgrade on Wednesday (Tanjug) Tanjug

PM expects agreement on contentious issues

Dačić underscored that comprehensive preparations are underway in the organisation of the local elections in the southern province.

He expressed the belief that the elections are a major step in the stabilisation of the situation and creation of conditions for sustainable survival of the Serb community, states the release issued by the Serbian government Office for Cooperation with the Media.

The new round of the political dialogue between Belgrade and Priština will be held in Brussels on August 27, the cabinet of High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton released earlier on Wednesday.

According to the release, Ashton had a telephone conversation with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić and Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci within the preparations for the next meeting.

The high EU representative and the prime ministers will discuss the progress in the implementation of the Brussels agreement (between Belgrade and Priština), the release states.

The previous, 14th round of the dialogue was held in the seat of the European External Action Service on July 24, and the main topic covered the forthcoming elections in Kosovo and Metohija scheduled for November 3.

The elections should be in the focus of attention of the forthcoming meeting as well.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić held a meeting with representatives of 25 Kosovo municipalities and heads of districts on Tuesday.

Nikolić called on the Serbs to vote in the local elections on November 3 and said that they will bear the responsibility if they decide to boycott the polls, and reiterated that the statement according to which voting in the elections constitutes a recognition of Kosovo's independence was "a major lie."

The meeting yielded a unified stand that Serbs should go to elections with a single Serb list.

Serbian president's advisor Marko Đurić said that municipalities constituted after the elections would not be the municipalities of the independent state of Kosovo but would rather be Serb municipalities through which Serbs would be able to achieve their rights "in an internationally recognized manner."