Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia ready to continue dialogue with Kosovo

Belgrade, 29 August 2014

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said that Serbia expects a special court to be set up as soon as possible, by the beginning of the next year at the latest, before which indictments will be raised against leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Author: un.org

We believe that all countries that respect international law would insist on this, Dacic said.

He noted that the scope of crimes listed in the report by Chief Prosecutor (of the special investigative team) Clint Williamson call for a court epilogue because only in such a way justice and peace for a great number of victims and their families can be achieved.

He called on relevant factors in the international community to do all that needs to be done so that the special court could be set up by the beginning of the next year, and warned that acquittal due to lack of evidence must never again be allowed for individuals responsible for the crimes because of witness intimidation.

Dacic said that all those involved in intimidation of witnesses also have to be prosecuted and found guilty.

Serbia will continue doing all it can, just as it has done in the past, to help collect additional evidence for organ trafficking, but other countries also need to invest efforts so that the evidence could find its way to the special court, he noted.

Author: Fonet

Belgrade calls on all political factors in Kosovo to bear in mind that whether justice will be achieved depends on their conscientious actions, he said.

Dacic said that Serbia is deeply committed to the continuation of a constructive dialogue with Pristina on all levels and the implementation of the agreements reached so far, adding that it expects the EU to facilitate the dialogue.

Serbia has conscientiously fulfilled all the obligations it took on so far, but the same cannot be said for Pristina, Dacic stated and noted that Belgrade expects Pristina to end the post-election procedures in the foreseeable future so that the community of Serb municipalities could be set up.

Dacic warned against the essential gap between international standards and legislations on one side and on the other, the actual situation in the field which is characterised by inter-ethnic incidents, unsolved property issues, limited approach to public services for members of non-Albanian communities and their distrust in the work of institutions.

The situation in Kosovo-Metohija remains difficult, Serbs are living in constant fear and unemployment rates in Serb municipalities have reached record figures. This all constitutes an obstacle to the normalisation of relations and establishment of inter-ethnic trust, as well as a potential threat to stability and security in the wider regional context, the Serbian foreign minister said.

In this light, he also mentioned the arbitrary arrests of local Serbs and the case of Oliver Ivanovic.

Author: Fonet

The Serbian government issued guarantees that Ivanovic will come forth in the process, and the refusal to release him pending trial constitutes disrespect for the Serbian government which contributed to the normalisation of relations to such a large extent, he noted.

We request that Oliver Ivanovic be released from detention, Dacic said.

Belgrade is closely following the court process against the so-called Drenica group and is concerned because three out of seven indicted members of former KLA managed to escape from the institution where they were undergoing medical treatment, he added.

Dacic also reflected on the June events at the bridge in Kosovska Mitrovica and pointed out that the removal of roadblocks on the northern (Serb) side of the bridge over the Ibar River was a sign of good will by the local Serb population, while the reaction of their Albanian fellow-citizens was not good-intentional and it only contributed to the deepening of intolerance.

According to Dacic, privatisation of public and social companies in Serb environments conducted by the Kosovo Privatisation Agency also remains a major problem.

Author: Fonet

Dacic believes that the conditions have not been met for the focus of the UNSC to be shifted from Kosovo, which is further supported by the recent incident in the Ground Safety Zone that claimed the life a member of the Serbian Gendarmerie.

Serbia is willing to invest maximum efforts in further stabilisation and normalisation of situation in Kosovo-Metohija because Serbia's vital interest is peace, Dacic concluded.