Samardžić calls on UNMIK to sanction local elections

Slobodan Samardzic has called on UNMIK Chief Joachim Ruecker to call local elections in Kosovo, to be organized by the Serbian authorities. In reply to Ruecker’s letter on the subject of the local ballot, the Kosovo minister said yesterday that UNMIK was not in a position to organize local elections for the Kosovo Serbs because, last summer, Ruecker himself had changed electoral regulations on the basis of the Martti Ahtisaari Plan for supervised independence. Samardzic calls on UNMIK to sanction local elections In so doing, the UNMIK chief had breached UN Security Council Resolution 1244, said Samardzic. He added that if UNMIK organized local elections in Kosovo, Ruecker would first of all have to adjust Resolution 1244’s electoral regulations via a new ruling, something that was unlikely to happen. Therefore, said the minister, only Serbia and the existing Serb local authorities in the province could organize such a vote. Earlier yesterday, a member of the Serb National Council for Kosovo’s executive, Nenad Radosavljevic, said that he believed local elections should be held in Kosovo. “It’s impossible to separate parliamentary from local elections. Heaven forbid if it occurred to someone from UNMIK or EULEX, the mission that’s trying to establish itself, to try and preempt or prevent something like that,” Radosavljevic told FoNet. According to the Kosovo Serb official, those chiefly to blame for the current confusing situation the Kosovo Serbs found themselves up against, were the Democratic Party (DS) and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), “as they have been in power.” The Republic Electoral Commission’s decision on the organization of local elections in Kosovo on May 11 was published in the Official Gazette yesterday. Meanwhile, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci have expressed their opposition to local elections on May 11, not wanting Serbian elections to be legitimized in the province. The KosovaLive agency from Pristina reported yesterday that Kosovo’s top brass had met with Ruecker and the International Civil Representative to Kosovo Pieter Feith to ask UNMIK not to permit Serbian elections to be held in Kosovo. The meeting was also attended by Kosovo Parliamentary Speaker Jakup Krasniqi. Sejdiu and Thaci confirmed that a meeting had been held yesterday, after which a statement was released. The Kosovo president said that at the meeting, they had discussed how UNMIK should carry out its mandate the best possible way “in order to respond to matters pertaining to implementing Resolution 1244, while it is in force, which effectively means that Serbian elections cannot be held in Kosovo.” They accused Belgrade of “undermining Kosovo institutions and destabilizing Kosovo.” KFOR Commander, General Xavier De Marnhac said that the international forces had no plan for securing Serbian elections in the province. During a meeting with Pristina Municipal President Isa Mustafa, De Marnhac said that he would not support the idea of Serbian elections being held in Kosovo. Slobodan Samardzic (FoNet, archive)

Samardžić calls on UNMIK to sanction local elections

In so doing, the UNMIK chief had breached UN Security Council Resolution 1244, said Samardžić.

He added that if UNMIK organized local elections in Kosovo, Ruecker would first of all have to adjust Resolution 1244’s electoral regulations via a new ruling, something that was unlikely to happen.

Therefore, said the minister, only Serbia and the existing Serb local authorities in the province could organize such a vote.

Earlier yesterday, a member of the Serb National Council for Kosovo’s executive, Nenad Radosavljević, said that he believed local elections should be held in Kosovo.

“It’s impossible to separate parliamentary from local elections. Heaven forbid if it occurred to someone from UNMIK or EULEX, the mission that’s trying to establish itself, to try and preempt or prevent something like that,” Radosavljević told FoNet.

According to the Kosovo Serb official, those chiefly to blame for the current confusing situation the Kosovo Serbs found themselves up against, were the Democratic Party (DS) and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), “as they have been in power.”

The Republic Electoral Commission’s decision on the organization of local elections in Kosovo on May 11 was published in the Official Gazette yesterday.

Meanwhile, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci have expressed their opposition to local elections on May 11, not wanting Serbian elections to be legitimized in the province.

The KosovaLive agency from Priština reported yesterday that Kosovo’s top brass had met with Ruecker and the International Civil Representative to Kosovo Pieter Feith to ask UNMIK not to permit Serbian elections to be held in Kosovo.

The meeting was also attended by Kosovo Parliamentary Speaker Jakup Krasniqi.

Sejdiu and Thaci confirmed that a meeting had been held yesterday, after which a statement was released.

The Kosovo president said that at the meeting, they had discussed how UNMIK should carry out its mandate the best possible way “in order to respond to matters pertaining to implementing Resolution 1244, while it is in force, which effectively means that Serbian elections cannot be held in Kosovo.”

They accused Belgrade of “undermining Kosovo institutions and destabilizing Kosovo.”

KFOR Commander, General Xavier De Marnhac said that the international forces had no plan for securing Serbian elections in the province.

During a meeting with Priština Municipal President Isa Mustafa, De Marnhac said that he would not support the idea of Serbian elections being held in Kosovo.