Q:
A:
Decentralisation of Kosovo-Metohija must not be unilateral
Belgrade,
23 July 2005
Slobodan Samardzic, advisor to the Serbian Prime Minister, said last night that the decree on decentralisation of certain municipalities in Kosovo, issued by UN Administrator Soren Jessen-Petersen, was not unexpected, but it makes decentralisation unilateral and does not ensure safety, freedom of movement or repossession of property for Serbs.
Slobodan Samardzic
In a statement to the Tanjug news agency, Samardzic said the purpose of the decree is to throw dust in the eyes of international participants.
He pointed out that the local self-governments in Kosovo-Metohija should be assisted with concrete proposals to achieve a beneficial environment for the Serb community.
“Representatives of Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade are not behind this decision”, Samardzic stressed and added that there were no authentic and legitimate Serbian representatives present in the talks between the UNMIK and provisional Kosovo institutions.
Samardzic says that, since the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for the assessment of standards in Kosovo-Metohija, Kai Eide, is to submit his report, and talks on the status of Kosovo-Metohija are to begin, the purpose of the decree is to prove that something has been achieved in local self-government.
“We are very well acquainted with such concepts, and have often criticised them”, Samardzic said adding that the Contact Group had issued a statement in New York last September asking that elements of the Serbian government’s viewpoint be incorporated in the local self-government framework However, this has not been achieved due to hindrances from UNMIK and provisional institutions in the province, Samardzic concluded.
He pointed out that the local self-governments in Kosovo-Metohija should be assisted with concrete proposals to achieve a beneficial environment for the Serb community.
“Representatives of Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade are not behind this decision”, Samardzic stressed and added that there were no authentic and legitimate Serbian representatives present in the talks between the UNMIK and provisional Kosovo institutions.
Samardzic says that, since the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for the assessment of standards in Kosovo-Metohija, Kai Eide, is to submit his report, and talks on the status of Kosovo-Metohija are to begin, the purpose of the decree is to prove that something has been achieved in local self-government.
“We are very well acquainted with such concepts, and have often criticised them”, Samardzic said adding that the Contact Group had issued a statement in New York last September asking that elements of the Serbian government’s viewpoint be incorporated in the local self-government framework However, this has not been achieved due to hindrances from UNMIK and provisional institutions in the province, Samardzic concluded.
-
Belgrade, 31 July 2025Continued draconian punishment of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija without evidence, witnesses
-
Belgrade, 25 July 2025Arrest of Igor Popović jeopardising Brussels negotiation process
-
Belgrade, 23 July 2025Death of harvesters in Staro Gracko must not be forgotten
-
Belgrade, 18 July 2025Daily exposure of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to Priština’s terror
-
Belgrade, 11 July 2025Aid to families in Kosovo and Metohija who suffered damage from fires
-
Belgrade, 10 July 2025Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija existentially threatened, disenfranchised
-
Belgrade, 19 June 2025Priština once again gravely violates basic human rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija
-
Belgrade, 13 June 2025Constant violent acts of Priština against Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija
-
Belgrade/Brussels, 10 June 2025Formation of Community of Serb Municipalities, de-escalation of situation in north of Kosovo and Metohija a priority
