“Opposition wants to take advantage of Kosovo situation"

Belgrade team chief Borislav Stefanovic has accused the opposition of trying to destroy the state policy toward Kosovo and take advantage of it in elections. He told B92 on Sunday night that a bad atmosphere in northern Kosovo was there thanks to different messages from Belgrade. “Opposition wants to take advantage of Kosovo situation" “It seems to me that a part of the opposition, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) is very active there, has an ultimate goal to get to a complete collapse in order to accuse the government of it ahead of the upcoming elections,” Stefanovic stressed. Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) deputy leader Aleksandar Vucic said however that it was a “notorious lie” that his party was controlling the barricades in northern Kosovo, stating that ordinary people were at the barricades who did not listen to anybody’s orders and that they were only fighting for their own future. Vucic pointed out that the SNS was the most popular party among the Kosovo Serbs, but that it was not natural for the party to control the Serbs at the barricades but to talk about what it could do for them instead. “We won’t say to them to pack their things and come to central Serbia,” he said and added that he did not see anything good in the agreements reached between Belgrade and Pristina so far. Stefanovic said however that the Belgrade negotiating team had solved the issue of birth records, customs stamp and cadastre while a part of the opposition was only criticizing them. He pointed out that he did not see why the agreements were bad for Serbia, especially since the opposition did not give any suggestions to solve any of the issues. The SNS deputy leader stressed that the negotiating team had never asked the Progressives to present possible solutions, adding that the team should have discussed the status first. Vucic said that the dialogue was the right solution and that SNS’ policy would be “lose as least as possible and get as much as possible”, but the team head told him that he “couldn’t do any better”. The SNS deputy leader said that his party would have a better position in the talks with Pristina after the elections and that the present government was unable to contribute to improvement of people’s lives in Kosovo. He once again repeated that the ruling coalition would lose the upcoming elections. Vucic stressed that partition of Kosovo, that Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic mentioned, never should have been made public, adding that it should have been a secret policy. He said that the Ahtisaari plan was unacceptable for the SNS but that the present Serbian government could not do more. The Belgrade team head said that Brussels would most likely agree to Belgrade's suggestion that on Wednesday, September 28, the issues relating to the flow of goods at the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings be discussed. Stefanovic said that it was possible that Belgrade would receive an answer on Monday, and that it was likely that Brussels would accept that proposal. “Pristina refuses to discuss the issue, so we will talk about this with the EU," he stressed, explaining that the talks would be held between Belgrade on one side, and the EU and the U.S. on the other. “We asked for the talks on Jarinje and Brnjak with representatives of the EU and the U.S. They are the ones we should talk to. We stand a good chance of getting these talks, we are in daily contact with Brussels, Washington and other centers, since we want to secure these talks and affect the situation at the two administrative crossings,” Stefanovic noted. Asked whether it was true that he had received a death threat, Stefanovic said that he did face threats and that they were serious, but that he felt safe and that no one could stop him from moving freely in northern Kosovo. Borislav Stefanovic (Beta, file)

“Opposition wants to take advantage of Kosovo situation"

“It seems to me that a part of the opposition, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) is very active there, has an ultimate goal to get to a complete collapse in order to accuse the government of it ahead of the upcoming elections,” Stefanović stressed.

Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) deputy leader Aleksandar Vučić said however that it was a “notorious lie” that his party was controlling the barricades in northern Kosovo, stating that ordinary people were at the barricades who did not listen to anybody’s orders and that they were only fighting for their own future.

Vučić pointed out that the SNS was the most popular party among the Kosovo Serbs, but that it was not natural for the party to control the Serbs at the barricades but to talk about what it could do for them instead.

“We won’t say to them to pack their things and come to central Serbia,” he said and added that he did not see anything good in the agreements reached between Belgrade and Priština so far.

Stefanović said however that the Belgrade negotiating team had solved the issue of birth records, customs stamp and cadastre while a part of the opposition was only criticizing them. He pointed out that he did not see why the agreements were bad for Serbia, especially since the opposition did not give any suggestions to solve any of the issues.

The SNS deputy leader stressed that the negotiating team had never asked the Progressives to present possible solutions, adding that the team should have discussed the status first.

Vučić said that the dialogue was the right solution and that SNS’ policy would be “lose as least as possible and get as much as possible”, but the team head told him that he “couldn’t do any better”.

The SNS deputy leader said that his party would have a better position in the talks with Priština after the elections and that the present government was unable to contribute to improvement of people’s lives in Kosovo.

He once again repeated that the ruling coalition would lose the upcoming elections.

Vučić stressed that partition of Kosovo, that Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dačić mentioned, never should have been made public, adding that it should have been a secret policy.

He said that the Ahtisaari plan was unacceptable for the SNS but that the present Serbian government could not do more.

The Belgrade team head said that Brussels would most likely agree to Belgrade's suggestion that on Wednesday, September 28, the issues relating to the flow of goods at the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings be discussed.

Stefanović said that it was possible that Belgrade would receive an answer on Monday, and that it was likely that Brussels would accept that proposal.

“Priština refuses to discuss the issue, so we will talk about this with the EU," he stressed, explaining that the talks would be held between Belgrade on one side, and the EU and the U.S. on the other.

“We asked for the talks on Jarinje and Brnjak with representatives of the EU and the U.S. They are the ones we should talk to. We stand a good chance of getting these talks, we are in daily contact with Brussels, Washington and other centers, since we want to secure these talks and affect the situation at the two administrative crossings,” Stefanović noted.

Asked whether it was true that he had received a death threat, Stefanović said that he did face threats and that they were serious, but that he felt safe and that no one could stop him from moving freely in northern Kosovo.