K. Albanian officials "throw another stone"

Head of the Serbian government media office Milivoje Mihajlovic said Monday that a referendum in northern Kosovo will not help solve problems in Kosovo. Mihajlovic said too much attention has been paid to the referendum idea, which is in itself problematic, as far as formulating the referendum question goes. K. Albanian officials "throw another stone" "If you ask a question to which everyone knows the answer, then there is probably another motive or purpose for the referendum. This is problematic to begin with," Mihajlovic told public broadcaster RTS. He pointed out the referendum deepens the division between Serbs living north and south of the Ibar River, which is bad for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and is an attempt by a group of people to remain in Kosovo's political scene outside of democratic principles and the election process, all of which is motivated by party interests. Mihajlovic said one of the motives of the people who are trying to hold the referendum is fulfilling the task set by their parties from Belgrade to pose obstacles on Serbia's EU path at all costs. Asked about the possibility of a ban on the referendum, Mihajlovic said such measures are not characteristic of the Serbian government but that the north Kosovo Serbs will have a clear message at the referendum. The key is for the people in the north to realize they have many more serious and pressing issues to take care of. Asked to comment on the statement of the deputy prime minster of the Kosovo Albanian government in Pristina, who criticized President Boris Tadic for making "political statements" during his visit to the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Visoki Decani, Mihajlovic said it served as "an excuse for the incidents which occurred in Decani, when members of the ethnic Albanian radical movement Self-Determination caused incidents: "It is another stone thrown at the convoy transporting the Serbian president and the group of Serbs who went to Visoki Decani to celebrate a great Serbian and Orthodox Christian holiday - Christmas." Looking for excuses for extremism in Kosovo does not contribute to the calming of the situation, he noted. "I think that with this statement, almost all of the (Kosovo) government sided with the extreme part, and is trying to get closer to Self-Determination and justify the group's actions," stated Mihajlovic. He further appraised that the movement represented "decoration for Hashim Thaci to be presented as a democrat and to send a message to the international community that there are more extreme Albanians". Thaci's deputy Hajredin Kuci was quoted as saying on Sunday that "the government of Kosovo will not allow Boris Tadic to enter Kosovo in the future", as the Serbian president "failed to honor an agreement to refrain from making political statements and appraisals". Kosovo Albania officials in Pristina said ahead of Tadic's trip to the province that it was "religious in nature". During his stay at Decani, where he spent Christmas last weekend, Tadic noted that Kosovo is Serb land, that he will never recognize it as independent, and that the authorities had no intention of dismantling Serbian institutions in the Serb-majority north. Milivoje Mihajlovic (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

K. Albanian officials "throw another stone"

"If you ask a question to which everyone knows the answer, then there is probably another motive or purpose for the referendum. This is problematic to begin with," Mihajlović told public broadcaster RTS.

He pointed out the referendum deepens the division between Serbs living north and south of the Ibar River, which is bad for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and is an attempt by a group of people to remain in Kosovo's political scene outside of democratic principles and the election process, all of which is motivated by party interests. Mihajlović said one of the motives of the people who are trying to hold the referendum is fulfilling the task set by their parties from Belgrade to pose obstacles on Serbia's EU path at all costs.

Asked about the possibility of a ban on the referendum, Mihajlović said such measures are not characteristic of the Serbian government but that the north Kosovo Serbs will have a clear message at the referendum. The key is for the people in the north to realize they have many more serious and pressing issues to take care of.

Asked to comment on the statement of the deputy prime minster of the Kosovo Albanian government in Priština, who criticized President Boris Tadić for making "political statements" during his visit to the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Visoki Dečani, Mihajlović said it served as "an excuse for the incidents which occurred in Dečani, when members of the ethnic Albanian radical movement Self-Determination caused incidents:

"It is another stone thrown at the convoy transporting the Serbian president and the group of Serbs who went to Visoki Dečani to celebrate a great Serbian and Orthodox Christian holiday - Christmas."

Looking for excuses for extremism in Kosovo does not contribute to the calming of the situation, he noted.

"I think that with this statement, almost all of the (Kosovo) government sided with the extreme part, and is trying to get closer to Self-Determination and justify the group's actions," stated Mihajlović.

He further appraised that the movement represented "decoration for Hashim Thaci to be presented as a democrat and to send a message to the international community that there are more extreme Albanians".

Thaci's deputy Hajredin Kuci was quoted as saying on Sunday that "the government of Kosovo will not allow Boris Tadić to enter Kosovo in the future", as the Serbian president "failed to honor an agreement to refrain from making political statements and appraisals".

Kosovo Albania officials in Priština said ahead of Tadić's trip to the province that it was "religious in nature".

During his stay at Dečani, where he spent Christmas last weekend, Tadić noted that Kosovo is Serb land, that he will never recognize it as independent, and that the authorities had no intention of dismantling Serbian institutions in the Serb-majority north.