Pristina's genocide lawsuit idea "dangerous"

Pristina's genocide lawsuit idea "dangerous"

“It is not possible to bring a genocide claim against Serbia, and take part in the talks in Brussels at the same time,” Vulin told reporters at the International Fair of Tourism, adding that the genocide lawsuit and negotiations rule each other out.

If Thaci has presented such an idea, that means that the government in Pristina has decided not to participate in the Brussels dialogue, the Serbian minister said.

He underscored that Serbia is committed to the Brussels dialogue, but that it will not tolerate maltreatment, humiliation and will not stand still and watch what Pristina's institutions are doing.

“The statement that Kosovo will allegedly sue Serbia for some genocide, as it were possible, shows how weak is the government of which Thaci is an important part.

Not only does this show that the government in Pristina is not capable of formulating its own policy, except in the streets and through violent protests, but also that it wants to avoid the Brussels agreement and further talks,” Vulin concluded.

On Saturday, Thaci told Turkey's news agency Anadolu that Kosovo would seek “war damages” from Serbia, on charges of "genocide" committed during the 1998-1999 war.

However, "as Kosovo is not yet a member of the United Nations, we are trying to establish legal grounds to bring a genocide claim against Serbia," said Thaci, who was political leader and commander of the so-called Kosovo-Liberation Army (KLA).

Thaci should deal with problems in Kosovo, and not heighten tensions and talk about some alleged genocide, said deputy director of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija Dusan Kozarev.

He underlined that Thaci should also concern himself with the set-up of an international court which should deal with KLA crimes committed against Serbs, "and bring to justice former KLA commanders, who are the most responsible for the crimes."

“In recent weeks, certain Albanian senior officials (from Kosovo) have been evidently nervous. There is no need to spoil the atmosphere for reconciliation, normalization and dialogue with personal tension,” Kozarev said in a written statement distributed to the media.