Nikolic says "Europe won't like" his Kosovo platform

Nikolic says "Europe won't like" his Kosovo platform

"I did not see anybody in the past year preparing for a solution that can be immediately applied. Do we even have such personnel in Kosovo and Metohija? I think we do not," said Nikolic.

The president noted that "for the first time assistance will have to be envisaged," and said he hoped the Ministry of Justice and the government have prepared a solution.

It remains to be seen what repercussions the deal will have on people's lives, he said, adding "the court with two seats" will lead to "a large fluctuation over the bridge in Kosovska Mitrovica," about which he is "always afraid."

According to him, everything in the talks with Pristina is still moving within the limits where Serbia can say, with a constitutional law, that it had delegated more competences to the essential autonomy of Kosovo than to the the autonomy of Vojvodina.

"We have a right to do that, but obviously, if we could not raise the issue of property, if what is determined by Brussels is always put on the table, we may have to wait for longer with our demands," Nikolic said.

The president added that in this case, the question is whether the Serbian side should, as he personally believes - "aim straight for the target" and say, "Hold on, people! What is Kosovo and Metohija for you?"

Referring to the EU, he added that they were "speaking nicely, and then tell us that an agreement with Kosovo awaits at the end, without which we will not be accepted (to the EU)."

"The news from Brussels is not bad, but we'll see how it can be turned into good," Nikolic was quoted as saying.

Speaking about his announced platform on Kosovo, Nikolic said it will first be presented to the government, and that the government will decide "whether to see the light of day, or not."

He said that "Europe" will not like his platform "above all because Serbia will never recognize Kosovo," but also because the document will insist that
"the treatment of the four municipalities north of the Ibar cannot be the same as the treatment of other municipalities where Albanians are the majority, where the Pristina administration has already established authority and powers.""

"So, what Albanians failed to achieve north of the Ibar through force since 1999, they will not be able to achieve through a deal with Belgrade," Nikolic said.

He added that Serbia needs to make things clear with the EU in advance when it comes to "fulfillment of its obligations, and whether a demand awaits for Pristina and Belgrade to come out in Brussels with an agreement reached between them.""

"Maybe that agreement is impossible to achieve to this day with the representatives of the institutions in Pristina - as we refer to them when we talk - and they say that they represent an independent state," Nikolic concluded.