Sides yet to agree on how to implement deal

BELGRADE Belgrade and Pristina teams that should have agreed on how to implement the Brussels agreement on Wednesday failed to accomplish their task. The stumbling block is the transfer of powers, related to the future community of Serb municipalities. Sides yet to agree on how to implement deal Belgrade insists the first step is to change Kosovo's laws and adapt them to the signed agreement. Member of the Belgrade team, Serbian president's adviser Marko Djuric, said that Belgrade was ready to resume the talks on the implementation of the Brussels agreement whenever Pristina was ready. "If you want to form courts with majority Serb judges legal requirements for this must be created. A law must be passed that will allow the bar exam to be recognized. So, the law on courts, on prosecution offices... It is necessary to have specific obligations for the Albanian side as well, when it comes to establishment of basic courts, prosecutions, who will be present on the territory of the community of Serb municipalities. So far this has not been acceptable to the Albanian side," he said. Belgrade also objects to the fact the Albanian side insists on a time frame in which Serbian institutions should be disbanded, while at the same time avoiding to make a commitment, added Djuric. "On the other hand, it appears that the subject of the community's powers which we accepted, is unpleasant on their internal level, and that because of this the emphasis has been not on the agreement but on something that is not the subject of the agreement," he stated. Belgrade is in a specific situation as, because of its desire to get a date to start accession negotiations with the EU, it does not have much time, says Milica Delevic, chairperson of the Parliament Committee for EU Integration. "Without the implementation, which does not mean that all processes will be completed by the time of getting a date, I do not think we can expect a date, but I also cannot believe that after doing such a big step as signing the agreement we will not go further into its implementation. Certainly, on the European side, moving towards the implementation will be a condition, I hope that both sides are aware of the importance of the breakthrough that was done through the agreement and will continue with the implementation," she said. It is expected that in May Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci could hold a meeting, which perhaps could remove some of the obstacles. Marko Djuric (Tanjug, file) B92

Sides yet to agree on how to implement deal

Belgrade insists the first step is to change Kosovo's laws and adapt them to the signed agreement.

Member of the Belgrade team, Serbian president's adviser Marko Đurić, said that Belgrade was ready to resume the talks on the implementation of the Brussels agreement whenever Priština was ready.

"If you want to form courts with majority Serb judges legal requirements for this must be created. A law must be passed that will allow the bar exam to be recognized. So, the law on courts, on prosecution offices... It is necessary to have specific obligations for the Albanian side as well, when it comes to establishment of basic courts, prosecutions, who will be present on the territory of the community of Serb municipalities. So far this has not been acceptable to the Albanian side," he said.

Belgrade also objects to the fact the Albanian side insists on a time frame in which Serbian institutions should be disbanded, while at the same time avoiding to make a commitment, added Đurić.

"On the other hand, it appears that the subject of the community's powers which we accepted, is unpleasant on their internal level, and that because of this the emphasis has been not on the agreement but on something that is not the subject of the agreement," he stated.

Belgrade is in a specific situation as, because of its desire to get a date to start accession negotiations with the EU, it does not have much time, says Milica Delević, chairperson of the Parliament Committee for EU Integration.

"Without the implementation, which does not mean that all processes will be completed by the time of getting a date, I do not think we can expect a date, but I also cannot believe that after doing such a big step as signing the agreement we will not go further into its implementation. Certainly, on the European side, moving towards the implementation will be a condition, I hope that both sides are aware of the importance of the breakthrough that was done through the agreement and will continue with the implementation," she said.

It is expected that in May Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaci could hold a meeting, which perhaps could remove some of the obstacles.