"Thaci's party biggest loser," says govt. spokesman

BELGRADE Milivoje Mihajlovic says that "the most important thing after the successful local elections in Kosovo is to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO)." Once the Brussels talks concerning Kosovo are resumed after the elections, they should be used to formulate completely the jurisdiction of the ZSO so it would be verified internationally, the head of the Serbian government office for media told TV Pink. "Thaci's party biggest loser," says govt. spokesman Belgrade will insist on providing the ZSO with the broadest possible jurisdiction, Mihajlovic pointed out. The agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina signed in Brussels on April 19 includes the creation of the ZSO after the local elections. The most important thing is that the Citizen Initiative Srpska won the local election in 9 of the 10 municipalities mostly populated by the Serbs, he stated, adding that Srpska would represent the interest of the Kosovo Serbs legitimately and legally. The party led by Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci lost the most in the local elections, which ended on Sunday with mayoral elections in 27 municipalities, while the biggest winners were the ethnic Albanians' Self-Determination Movement and the Citizen Initiative Srpska, he said. Only the vote in Pasjane, in the eastern Kosovo municipality of Gnjilane, is disputed after the second round of the elections, since a number of small incidents involving ballot boxes occurred there on Sunday evening, and it is possible for the elections in that Serb settlement to be annulled, he remarked. Commenting on the possibility of a parliamentary election in Kosovo in spring, Mihajlovic said Pristina feared the Serbs would come out with a single list of candidates or several of them, which would in the end have to unite in order to have more power in the assembly. "If the Serb parties joined forces for the election, they could get 22-24 seats out of the total of 125 in the Kosovo assembly, which means they could hold some of the power and always be able to bring down the government," he explained. Mihajlovic further stated that he believes that "it would not be problematic" if Krstimir Pantic and the Citizen Initiative Srpska entered a coalition "with some Albanian party" - should Oliver Ivanovic and his list refuse the offer to join them in the new municipal authorities. (Tanjug, file) Tanjug TV Pink

"Thaci's party biggest loser," says govt. spokesman

Belgrade will insist on providing the ZSO with the broadest possible jurisdiction, Mihajlović pointed out.

The agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština signed in Brussels on April 19 includes the creation of the ZSO after the local elections.

The most important thing is that the Citizen Initiative Srpska won the local election in 9 of the 10 municipalities mostly populated by the Serbs, he stated, adding that Srpska would represent the interest of the Kosovo Serbs legitimately and legally.

The party led by Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci lost the most in the local elections, which ended on Sunday with mayoral elections in 27 municipalities, while the biggest winners were the ethnic Albanians' Self-Determination Movement and the Citizen Initiative Srpska, he said.

Only the vote in Pasjane, in the eastern Kosovo municipality of Gnjilane, is disputed after the second round of the elections, since a number of small incidents involving ballot boxes occurred there on Sunday evening, and it is possible for the elections in that Serb settlement to be annulled, he remarked.

Commenting on the possibility of a parliamentary election in Kosovo in spring, Mihajlović said Priština feared the Serbs would come out with a single list of candidates or several of them, which would in the end have to unite in order to have more power in the assembly.

"If the Serb parties joined forces for the election, they could get 22-24 seats out of the total of 125 in the Kosovo assembly, which means they could hold some of the power and always be able to bring down the government," he explained.

Mihajlović further stated that he believes that "it would not be problematic" if Krstimir Pantić and the Citizen Initiative Srpska entered a coalition "with some Albanian party" - should Oliver Ivanović and his list refuse the offer to join them in the new municipal authorities.