Top state officials, Serbs from north to meet

BELGRADE Serbia's state leadership will on Thursday meet to discuss the progress in the current EU-sponsored Kosovo talks, held in Brussels. After that, they will meet with representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo. Top state officials, Serbs from north to meet Representatives of Serbs from the north of the province will be meeting with President Tomislav Nikolic and PM Ivica Dacic. Meanwhile, Serbs have been holding their peaceful protest at the Jarinje checkpoint for the past two days, and are demanding written guarantees from the state leadership, related to the deal on integrated crossings. Yesterday they blocked the construction of facilities at one such checkpoint. The presidents of four municipalities in northern Kosovo where Serbs are a majority were unanimous in their view that the protest should continue until they receive written guarantees on what an "integrated crossing" represents, and related to identification cards, license plates and customs. Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantic said that a meeting with the country's leaders will likely take place tomorrow, and that the citizens would stay at Jarinje until then. "So far we have been deceived many times by the international community and the (ethnic) Albanians, so this time we insist that what Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said after yesterday's meeting in Brussels must be put in writing and signed by the participants of that conversation. When we get a written guaratnee, we will inform councilors, talk to the citizens, and if the guarantee is signed, there will be no reason for the citizens to be at Jarinje preventing the implementation of the agreement, because, in essence, all our demands will have been met," explained Pantic. Meanwhile in Belgrade, Parliament Speaker Nebojsa Stefanovic confirmed that he learned from President Nikolic that top state officials will convene on Thursday to discuss the progress in the current negotiations in Brussels, after which they will talk with representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo. "It will be an improvement compared to the practice so far, when almost no one knew what was being discussed and agreed on in Brussels," he said. Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci met in Brussels on Wednesday under the auspices of the EU, for their third meeting in the last month and a half, and reached an agreement on the implementation of the deal on integrated management of administrative line crossings between central Serbia and Kosovo. This agreement was initialed by representatives of Serbia's previous government earlier this year, and its official title is, "Integrated Border Management (IBM)". The Brussels agreement will tomorrow also be discussed by the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija of the Serbian Parliament. As announced, the agenda will contain a report on the work of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija during its first one hundred days. The committee will consider the implementation of agreements reached with Pristina, and current activities of the War Crimes Prosecution in the process that the Hague Tribunal conducted against Ramush Haradinaj, and will discuss a possible revision of that process. Committee Chairman Milovan Drecun announced that the session will be attended by War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic, Director of the Government Office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin and head of Belgrade's team in technical negotiations Dejan Pavicevic. The committee will inform its members about the implementation of agreements reached with the interim institutions of self-government in Pristina, with special reference to IBM. A view of the Jarinje checkpoint (Beta) B92 Beta Tanjug

Top state officials, Serbs from north to meet

Representatives of Serbs from the north of the province will be meeting with President Tomislav Nikolić and PM Ivica Dačić.

Meanwhile, Serbs have been holding their peaceful protest at the Jarinje checkpoint for the past two days, and are demanding written guarantees from the state leadership, related to the deal on integrated crossings.

Yesterday they blocked the construction of facilities at one such checkpoint. The presidents of four municipalities in northern Kosovo where Serbs are a majority were unanimous in their view that the protest should continue until they receive written guarantees on what an "integrated crossing" represents, and related to identification cards, license plates and customs.

Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić said that a meeting with the country's leaders will likely take place tomorrow, and that the citizens would stay at Jarinje until then.

"So far we have been deceived many times by the international community and the (ethnic) Albanians, so this time we insist that what Prime Minister Ivica Dačić said after yesterday's meeting in Brussels must be put in writing and signed by the participants of that conversation. When we get a written guaratnee, we will inform councilors, talk to the citizens, and if the guarantee is signed, there will be no reason for the citizens to be at Jarinje preventing the implementation of the agreement, because, in essence, all our demands will have been met," explained Pantić.

Meanwhile in Belgrade, Parliament Speaker Nebojša Stefanović confirmed that he learned from President Nikolić that top state officials will convene on Thursday to discuss the progress in the current negotiations in Brussels, after which they will talk with representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo.

"It will be an improvement compared to the practice so far, when almost no one knew what was being discussed and agreed on in Brussels," he said.

Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaci met in Brussels on Wednesday under the auspices of the EU, for their third meeting in the last month and a half, and reached an agreement on the implementation of the deal on integrated management of administrative line crossings between central Serbia and Kosovo. This agreement was initialed by representatives of Serbia's previous government earlier this year, and its official title is, "Integrated Border Management (IBM)".

The Brussels agreement will tomorrow also be discussed by the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija of the Serbian Parliament. As announced, the agenda will contain a report on the work of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija during its first one hundred days.

The committee will consider the implementation of agreements reached with Priština, and current activities of the War Crimes Prosecution in the process that the Hague Tribunal conducted against Ramush Haradinaj, and will discuss a possible revision of that process.

Committee Chairman Milovan Drecun announced that the session will be attended by War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević, Director of the Government Office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin and head of Belgrade's team in technical negotiations Dejan Pavićević.

The committee will inform its members about the implementation of agreements reached with the interim institutions of self-government in Priština, with special reference to IBM.