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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Position of national minorities considerably improves

Belgrade, 31 January 2006

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said today, following a meeting with OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Rolf Ekeus, that the Serbian government pays special attention to national minorities and improvement of their position.

Kostunica said that the Serbian National Minorities' Council consists of representatives of 12 national minorities that live in Serbia and recalled that Serbia has signed agreements on protection of national minorities with its neighbours: Hungary, Croatia, Romania and Macedonia. He added that the country is dedicated to mutual cooperation with its neighbours and continues to improve the position of national minorities.

Ekeus pointed out that Serbia has made significant progress in this respect and stressed that the OSCE is satisfied with past cooperation and the concrete steps Serbian institutions have made towards improving the position of national minorities.

Rolf Ekeus

At the meeting, special attention has been given to the situation in Kosovo-Metohija and the difficult position of the Serb community, which has been denied basic human rights. Kostunica said that Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija are not safe and that their elementary rights have been threatened, adding that those who were banished from their homes still cannot return safely.

Ekeus agreed that the Serb community in Kosovo has been denied basic human rights and pointed out the necessary that their rights be protected.

He stressed that the cases such as denying the right for information by preventing broadcasting of the TV station Most by UNMIK in central Kosovo-Metohija run contrary to the principles on which modern Europe and OSCE are based.