Speaker announces Kosovo session for next week

Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic says that Serbia will not give up on its EU pathway even if it does not get the EU candidate status on December 9. She however added that she believed that this would not be the case. Speaker announces Kosovo session for next week Djukic-Dejanovic told TV B92 in Belgrade late on Monday that Serbia will also "not give up on its citizens in Kosovo-Metohija and that it will continue to protect them", and try to have "both the issue of northern Kosovo and EU integration" make progress. “We have to be aware of the reality. Kosovo is Serbia's southern province and the state policy is well-known, however it also a fact that all people in Kosovo-Metohija are jeopardized, but we tend to care about our citizens, and bear utmost responsibility for them,” according to her. She said that the citizens of north Kosovo have the right to express dissatisfaction, but this should be realized "in line with certain goals", rather that "simply for the sake of expressing dissatisfaction in cold weather", while "the results might be contentious". The parliament speaker underlined that the session on the government's report on activities aimed at stabilization of situation in north Kosovo will be held probably early next week, adding that she intends to invite Serbian President Boris Tadic to attend the session. She said that the report submitted last week - which states that KFOR and EULEX had placed themselves at the service of the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina - "is an important starting point but it will also be important for MPs to hear one another and hte present members of the government. It should be a session of truth." She said that the session will be scheduled once she gets an opinion of the parliamentary committee on Kosovo-Metohija, which is to discuss the report on Tuesday. “The committee must first discuss the report and then inform me about its conclusions. After that, I will schedule the session,” Djukic-Dejanovic said, adding that the committee could also "propose conclusions or a declaration". When asked whether the content of the report is debatable and whether the parliamentary session will be postponed due to a lack of unity in parliament, Djukic-Dejanovic said that the report includes "only bare facts and no debatable points, and that therefore it was unanimously adopted by the government". The speaker, who is also a high-ranking member of the ruling Socialists (SPS), was asked if the the Progressives (SNS) could enter a post-election coalition with her party, or the Democrats (DS), she said that "this looks unbelievable, but nothing is impossible in politics". Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic (Tanjug, file)

Speaker announces Kosovo session for next week

Đukić-Dejanović told TV B92 in Belgrade late on Monday that Serbia will also "not give up on its citizens in Kosovo-Metohija and that it will continue to protect them", and try to have "both the issue of northern Kosovo and EU integration" make progress.

“We have to be aware of the reality. Kosovo is Serbia's southern province and the state policy is well-known, however it also a fact that all people in Kosovo-Metohija are jeopardized, but we tend to care about our citizens, and bear utmost responsibility for them,” according to her.

She said that the citizens of north Kosovo have the right to express dissatisfaction, but this should be realized "in line with certain goals", rather that "simply for the sake of expressing dissatisfaction in cold weather", while "the results might be contentious".

The parliament speaker underlined that the session on the government's report on activities aimed at stabilization of situation in north Kosovo will be held probably early next week, adding that she intends to invite Serbian President Boris Tadić to attend the session.

She said that the report submitted last week - which states that KFOR and EULEX had placed themselves at the service of the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština - "is an important starting point but it will also be important for MPs to hear one another and hte present members of the government. It should be a session of truth."

She said that the session will be scheduled once she gets an opinion of the parliamentary committee on Kosovo-Metohija, which is to discuss the report on Tuesday.

“The committee must first discuss the report and then inform me about its conclusions. After that, I will schedule the session,” Đukić-Dejanović said, adding that the committee could also "propose conclusions or a declaration".

When asked whether the content of the report is debatable and whether the parliamentary session will be postponed due to a lack of unity in parliament, Đukić-Dejanović said that the report includes "only bare facts and no debatable points, and that therefore it was unanimously adopted by the government".

The speaker, who is also a high-ranking member of the ruling Socialists (SPS), was asked if the the Progressives (SNS) could enter a post-election coalition with her party, or the Democrats (DS), she said that "this looks unbelievable, but nothing is impossible in politics".