"Serbia determined to continue talks on all levels"

NEW YORK Ivica Dacic on Tuesday in New York urged Pristina and international factors "to secure conditions for holding the second round of local elections." This should be done in Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo "in order to avoid the brutal breach of election procedure registered on November 3," the Serbian prime minister told the UN Security Council. "Serbia determined to continue talks on all levels" "Whereas Serbia has invested maximum efforts to encourage Kosovo Serbs to turn out in large numbers, Pristina failed to provide even the most basic conditions for the ballot," he said. "It has not been easy to lobby in favor of elections in such an atmosphere, let alone turn out for such elections. In spite of all that, the Serbian government is extremely satisfied with the fact that more than 45,000 voters voted in Serb municipalities“, Dacic said. He added that "it remains unclear why the OSCE asked the counting of ballots to be conducted outside Kosovska Mitrovica, in a location dominated by ethnic Albanians, when there was no reason for it“. The community of Serb municipalities "will also be formed, not thanks to efforts of Kosovo institutions, but in spite of them," Dacic said. Irrespective of such a conduct of the Kosovo side, Serbia is firmly determined to continue discussions with Pristina at all levels and to implement the reached agreements, he said. "We expect Pristina to make additional efforts in reaching mutually acceptable solutions and applying the agreements. It is particularly important for Pristina to refrain, in the forthcoming period, from unilateral moves that might jeopardize further dialogue and affect security in Kosovo“, Dacic said. However, according to him, the Pristina government still has not taken steps in key areas, such as the adoption of the laws in accordance with agreements reached between the two sides in Brussels, including the law on amnesty, on budget, local self-government; the setting up of the new network of judiciary bodies has not been implemented and the team members of regional police command in northern Kosovo have not been appointed. The prime minister also told the council that nearly 15 years after they were driven from their homes in 1999, only 18,000 of the 230,000 Serb IDPs have returned, according to UNHCR data. Out of that number, only 4,000 are what is known as "sustainable returnees," he noted, and added that the fact a significant fall in the returns was recorded in 2013 was of particular concern. Dacic said that the Kosovo Privatization Agency even put up for sale Hladnjaca Silovo, which houses a collective center for IDPs from the Kosovsko Pomoravlje region. "Everything points to the rule of law not being established in Kosovo and Metohija, and that there is no effective protection of human, and especially minority rights," he stressed. Dacic then mentioned the case of Fatmir Limaj, a former minister in the government in Pristina, who was accused of murder and torture of Serb and ethnic Albanian civilians and prisoners of war in a KLA camp in the village of Klecka, and said it "speaks clearly about the weakness of the judiciary in Kosovo and Metohija and the influence of politically powerful figures, themselves mostly recruited from the ranks of the former KLA, on the overall political, legal and social system in Kosovo and Metohija, including the international justice component." Serbia was "unpleasantly surprised" by the decision to set Limaj free, said the prime minister, and added that he "hoped the EULEX prosecutor would appeal." He said that "Belgrade once again stressed the importance of a full and efficient investigation" into the accusations that the KLA removed organs from the captured Serb prisoners and sold them in the international black market. The accusations were also contained in a report filed in late 2010 by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty. Stressing that the dialogue conducted in Brussels had "a status-neutral character," and that the desire to normalize relations with Pristina "does not mean a change in the position not to accept the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo," Dacic expressed his expectation that "all the problems will be the subject of the continued dialogue in Brussels on December 5." Addressing the same session of the council, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said that after the local elections were held in Kosovo, "a partition of Kosovo and its federalization along ethnic lines had been ruled out." According to him, the local elections were free and went in a peaceful atmosphere, except in the north, where he said incidents were caused "by Serb extremist groups." The boycott of the elections failed, said Thaci, and added that runoffs would be held on December 1 in 24 municipalities. The future community of Serb municipalities will be formed in line with Kosovo's laws, will not have executive and legislative functions, and will not be able to replace municipal powers, he noted. According to Thaci, the Kosovo customs will begin collecting customs on December 14. (Tanjug, file) "Key importance" Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Farid Zarif has stated that the forthcoming period will be of key importance both for the strengthening of the results of local elections in Kosovo, the progress in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and for the advancement of Serbia and Kosovo on their EU path. Zarif said that the progress of Serbia and Kosovo on their EU path depends on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Representatives of UN Security Council member countries agreed that local elections in Kosovo constitute the key point in the implementation of the Brussels agreement and condemned the November 3 incidents, and Russia's representative warned that the incidents show that the situation in the province is fragile and potentially dangerous. The council met on Tuesday in New York to discuss the latest report on Kosovo filed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Tanjug VIP

"Serbia determined to continue talks on all levels"

"Whereas Serbia has invested maximum efforts to encourage Kosovo Serbs to turn out in large numbers, Priština failed to provide even the most basic conditions for the ballot," he said.

"It has not been easy to lobby in favor of elections in such an atmosphere, let alone turn out for such elections. In spite of all that, the Serbian government is extremely satisfied with the fact that more than 45,000 voters voted in Serb municipalities“, Dačić said.

He added that "it remains unclear why the OSCE asked the counting of ballots to be conducted outside Kosovska Mitrovica, in a location dominated by ethnic Albanians, when there was no reason for it“.

The community of Serb municipalities "will also be formed, not thanks to efforts of Kosovo institutions, but in spite of them," Dačić said.

Irrespective of such a conduct of the Kosovo side, Serbia is firmly determined to continue discussions with Priština at all levels and to implement the reached agreements, he said.

"We expect Priština to make additional efforts in reaching mutually acceptable solutions and applying the agreements. It is particularly important for Priština to refrain, in the forthcoming period, from unilateral moves that might jeopardize further dialogue and affect security in Kosovo“, Dačić said.

However, according to him, the Priština government still has not taken steps in key areas, such as the adoption of the laws in accordance with agreements reached between the two sides in Brussels, including the law on amnesty, on budget, local self-government; the setting up of the new network of judiciary bodies has not been implemented and the team members of regional police command in northern Kosovo have not been appointed.

The prime minister also told the council that nearly 15 years after they were driven from their homes in 1999, only 18,000 of the 230,000 Serb IDPs have returned, according to UNHCR data. Out of that number, only 4,000 are what is known as "sustainable returnees," he noted, and added that the fact a significant fall in the returns was recorded in 2013 was of particular concern.

Dačić said that the Kosovo Privatization Agency even put up for sale Hladnjača Šilovo, which houses a collective center for IDPs from the Kosovsko Pomoravlje region.

"Everything points to the rule of law not being established in Kosovo and Metohija, and that there is no effective protection of human, and especially minority rights," he stressed.

Dačić then mentioned the case of Fatmir Limaj, a former minister in the government in Priština, who was accused of murder and torture of Serb and ethnic Albanian civilians and prisoners of war in a KLA camp in the village of Klečka, and said it "speaks clearly about the weakness of the judiciary in Kosovo and Metohija and the influence of politically powerful figures, themselves mostly recruited from the ranks of the former KLA, on the overall political, legal and social system in Kosovo and Metohija, including the international justice component."

Serbia was "unpleasantly surprised" by the decision to set Limaj free, said the prime minister, and added that he "hoped the EULEX prosecutor would appeal."

He said that "Belgrade once again stressed the importance of a full and efficient investigation" into the accusations that the KLA removed organs from the captured Serb prisoners and sold them in the international black market. The accusations were also contained in a report filed in late 2010 by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty.

Stressing that the dialogue conducted in Brussels had "a status-neutral character," and that the desire to normalize relations with Priština "does not mean a change in the position not to accept the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo," Dačić expressed his expectation that "all the problems will be the subject of the continued dialogue in Brussels on December 5."

Addressing the same session of the council, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said that after the local elections were held in Kosovo, "a partition of Kosovo and its federalization along ethnic lines had been ruled out."

According to him, the local elections were free and went in a peaceful atmosphere, except in the north, where he said incidents were caused "by Serb extremist groups."

The boycott of the elections failed, said Thaci, and added that runoffs would be held on December 1 in 24 municipalities.

The future community of Serb municipalities will be formed in line with Kosovo's laws, will not have executive and legislative functions, and will not be able to replace municipal powers, he noted.

According to Thaci, the Kosovo customs will begin collecting customs on December 14.

"Key importance"

Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Farid Zarif has stated that the forthcoming period will be of key importance both for the strengthening of the results of local elections in Kosovo, the progress in the Belgrade-Priština dialogue and for the advancement of Serbia and Kosovo on their EU path.

Zarif said that the progress of Serbia and Kosovo on their EU path depends on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština.

Representatives of UN Security Council member countries agreed that local elections in Kosovo constitute the key point in the implementation of the Brussels agreement and condemned the November 3 incidents, and Russia's representative warned that the incidents show that the situation in the province is fragile and potentially dangerous.

The council met on Tuesday in New York to discuss the latest report on Kosovo filed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.