Agreement on judiciary reached in Brussels

Agreement on judiciary reached in Brussels

The trilateral meeting of EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini with delegations from Belgrade and Pristina was completed shortly after two o'clock in the morning.

It was the first meeting in the framework of the dialogue since the end of March last year, after a long delay caused by the political crisis in Pristina where a government was not formed for months.

The meeting was also attended by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

Vucic said that the talks were difficult, but that he thought "we got the maximum under the circumstances."

Vucic said that during this round of dialogue the Pristina delegation insisted on topics such as the dismantling of the civil protection in the north and the removal of the Peace Park on the bridge between the northern and southern Kosovska Mitrovica.

"We did not want to talk about that, but we wanted to talk about Trepca and the community of Serb municipalities," he explained, adding that the agreement on the judiciary was the only reached during the meeting.

Vucic said that "the parity of Serb and Albanian judges in southern (Kosovska) Mitrovica was 14:11 in favor of Albanians" while the president of the court in the northern part of the town would be a Serb, "and that is a better solution than what is given in the ethnic structure of the Mitrovica region."

Vucic added that the court would have an equal number of Serb and Albanian prosecutors, "that is, nine each."

He announced that the Kosovska Mitrovica court will have branches in Zubin Potok and Leposavic, "on which the Serbian side insisted."

Vucic said that the talks were "extremely difficult and interrupted several times" and thanked Mogherini for "the shown understanding."

"Catherine Ashton wanted to hear our plan which we remember well, and it seems to me that Federica Mogherini also hold such a position," explained Vucic.

He said he hoped that this progress will contribute to the opening as soon as possible of the first chapter in the accession negotiations with the EU and give new impetus to Serbia's EU integration.

"The behavior Serbia will be welcomed and assessed as serious," stressed Vucic.

He said that due to the difficult talks, the two delegations "did not manage to agree on a new round of dialogue" and expressed hope that it will take place soon.

Isa Mustafa said that the agreement was important for Kosovo because, according to him, it provides a unified judicial system throughout Kosovo.

"We will continue with other issues so that all parts of the country are integrated and that sovereignty is represented throughout the territory," Mustafa told reporters after the talks that began on Monday evening and ended a little after two in the morning.

He said that judges and prosecutors "will be from both sides," and that a decision on the distribution of cases has not yet been made. He added Pristina insisted on the disbandment of the civil protection, "because without solving that issue the other topics cannot be moved forward."

Mustafa said that the bridge over the Ibar River needed to be opened and freedom of movement ensured, and according to him, two questions are "in the process of being solved" - the calling code and energy.

"The date of a new meeting has not been determined, but bearing in mind the topics I expect it will be soon," said Mustafa.

Mogherini said in a statement after the meeting that Vucic and Mustafa finalized an agreement on the judiciary, "which closed a crucial chapter of implementation of the Brussels agreement that will substantially improve the lives of people on the ground."

Mogherini congratulated Vucic and Mustafa and said they had "a comprehensive conversation about a whole range of topics, and also dealt with what remains to be done."

According to her, working groups will continue their work in the coming days.

"The prime ministers confirmed their commitment to making progress towards normalization of relations. They agreed to cooperate in solving regional issues, such as the acute problem of illegal migrants from Kosovo,"said Mogherini.

She expressed support for Vucic and Mustafa when it comes to "further progress on the road towards the EU."