"Kosovo dialogue to continue after elections"

Belgrade negotiator Borislav Stefanovic on Friday took part in another gathering to say that Kosovo talks would continue after elections in Serbia. After participating in a conference on Thursday where he asserted that the EU will not condition giving Serbia a date for the start of accession talks with Kosovo, Stefanovic today explained that the EU-sponsored Kosovo dialogue that started in March 2011 would resume after a new government had been set up in Belgrade. "Kosovo dialogue to continue after elections" Elections are expected to take place in April or May. Addressing s roundtable dubbed "A conversation with the negotiator", Stefanovic pointed out that this is a completely normal decision because the new government, with new capacities, will continue talks with Pristina. "Those who think that the new government will be able to avoid those problems are wrong," Stefanovic stated, adding that the issues to be discussed in the continuation of the dialogue include the position of Serbs south of the Ibar River - where they live in isolated enclaves - the functioning of the part of the territory where Serbian monasteries are located, and finally the solution to the issue of northern Kosovo - where Serbs form the majority population. "The solution has to be acceptable to us and to Pristina, and mostly to the people living there. After the elections, we will see when and in what way these processes will continue," Stefanovic underlined. Stefanovic also said that neither negotiations held so far, nor agreements reached in the dialogue, had any mention of abolishment of the so-called parallel institutions in northern Kosovo. He stressed that those institutions cannot be called parallel, adding that they are a part of Serbia's constitutional system and that they have the state's support. Stefanovic reiterated that the agreement on regional representation of Pristina "revived the Resolution 1244 and strengthened it on the international scene". That is not an ideal solution, but is the best one that could have been achieved, he underlined. Tanjug

"Kosovo dialogue to continue after elections"

Elections are expected to take place in April or May.

Addressing s roundtable dubbed "A conversation with the negotiator", Stefanović pointed out that this is a completely normal decision because the new government, with new capacities, will continue talks with Priština.

"Those who think that the new government will be able to avoid those problems are wrong," Stefanović stated, adding that the issues to be discussed in the continuation of the dialogue include the position of Serbs south of the Ibar River - where they live in isolated enclaves - the functioning of the part of the territory where Serbian monasteries are located, and finally the solution to the issue of northern Kosovo - where Serbs form the majority population.

"The solution has to be acceptable to us and to Priština, and mostly to the people living there. After the elections, we will see when and in what way these processes will continue," Stefanović underlined.

Stefanović also said that neither negotiations held so far, nor agreements reached in the dialogue, had any mention of abolishment of the so-called parallel institutions in northern Kosovo.

He stressed that those institutions cannot be called parallel, adding that they are a part of Serbia's constitutional system and that they have the state's support.

Stefanović reiterated that the agreement on regional representation of Priština "revived the Resolution 1244 and strengthened it on the international scene".

That is not an ideal solution, but is the best one that could have been achieved, he underlined.