"Serb List accomplishes goal, can block Pristina"

"Serb List accomplishes goal, can block Pristina"

Asked by the daily Blic in what way they would cooperate with a government that would be put together by Albin Kurti, Behgjet Pacolli and Isa Mustafa - "at this point the most likely outcome" - Simic said that the Serb people in these elections chose their representatives, and could not influence the choice of the Albanian people.

"We would of course like to have more moderate political parties as our interlocutors, those who are not creating their political identity based on animosity toward Serbia and the Serb people," he said.

The Serb List will in any case continue to sincerely stand in favor of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, improvement of relations between Serbs and Albanians, and better social and economic situation in Kosovo and Metohija, he stressed.

"For a start, that's a sufficient framework to have a constructive conversation with anyone," Simic thinks.

Asked who was "more acceptable" to him - Albin Kurti or Ramush Haradinaj - Simic recalled that both have been sending "negative messages" to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija over the past years, and that they "even denied the importance of the dialogue, bringing into question the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities."

"We'll see what capacity each have to accept political reality and the existence of a strong and monolithic political bloc of Serbs in Pristina's institutions," Simic said.

He noted that the Serb List cannot choose its interlocutors, but can, in discussions with Albanian representatives, whoever they may be, insist on "things of interest to the Serb people."

"The Serb List will not be bartering with interests of its people, so, whoever wants to talk, knows where to find us," Simic concluded.

Serb List wins 9 seats

Based on the preliminary results of the early parliamentary vote in Kosovo, the Serb List has won nine seats in the new Kosovo Assembly, while the Independent Liberal Party will have one, Beta learned on June 14 from a source in the Central Electoral Commission.

According to the source, the Serb ticket won 90 percent of all Serb voters who turned out on June 11, while the final results of the early election are expected in about ten days.

Independent Liberal Party president Slobodan Petrovic confirmed that the party won one seat in the new Kosovo Assembly, according to preliminary results.

Ten of the 120 seats in the Kosovo Assembly belong to representatives of the Serb community, while the same number is divided among the representatives of other minority communities.