Referendum inconsequential, says negotiator

Belgrade negotiator Borislav Stefanovic has described the referendum in northern Kosovo as "illegal and unconstitutional, completely needless and meaningless". The plebiscite that saw a nearly unanimous "No" vote of the local, predominantly Serb population, to the Kosovo Albanian institutions, "will achieve no result, and was cooked up in and carried out by certain party kitchens in Belgrade," according to Stefanovic: Referendum inconsequential, says negotiator "The referendum will leave no trace in history nor will it have any results. In a way it was a partisan, ideological referendum that sent the wrong message that Serbs from the north cannot agree with their own state, and on the other hand it brought the state in a position to explain that its own citizens are not obeying their own government." According to him, that makes Serbia's foreign policy situation more difficult, but noted that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue would not suffer because of the referendum. "The dialogue is a process that solves problems and it will certainly resume," Stefanovic said of the EU sponsored negotiations that started last March. That process is guided by Serbia's position that the Pristina institutions cannot be installed in northern Kosovo, the negotiator concluded. That was also the question that the referendum asked and the citizens answered on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the other hand, one of the leaders of Serbs in the north, Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Dragoslav Pantic, told B92 on Thursday that the referendum's result will make the position of the Belgrade negotiating team easier, providing it with proof of the stance that Serbs in the north consider themselves a part of Serbia, and do not wish to "integrate into the Kosovo society". "The high turnout shows that the citizens are aware of their responsibility and the importance of the referendum, and shows the kind of pressure that we in the north have been under... The referendum itself has no legal consequence because we've only confirmed what is written in the Constitution: that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia," Pantic concluded. (Tanjug) B92

Referendum inconsequential, says negotiator

"The referendum will leave no trace in history nor will it have any results. In a way it was a partisan, ideological referendum that sent the wrong message that Serbs from the north cannot agree with their own state, and on the other hand it brought the state in a position to explain that its own citizens are not obeying their own government."

According to him, that makes Serbia's foreign policy situation more difficult, but noted that the Belgrade-Priština dialogue would not suffer because of the referendum.

"The dialogue is a process that solves problems and it will certainly resume," Stefanović said of the EU sponsored negotiations that started last March.

That process is guided by Serbia's position that the Priština institutions cannot be installed in northern Kosovo, the negotiator concluded. That was also the question that the referendum asked and the citizens answered on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On the other hand, one of the leaders of Serbs in the north, Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Dragoslav Pantić, told B92 on Thursday that the referendum's result will make the position of the Belgrade negotiating team easier, providing it with proof of the stance that Serbs in the north consider themselves a part of Serbia, and do not wish to "integrate into the Kosovo society".

"The high turnout shows that the citizens are aware of their responsibility and the importance of the referendum, and shows the kind of pressure that we in the north have been under... The referendum itself has no legal consequence because we've only confirmed what is written in the Constitution: that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia," Pantić concluded.