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

Fourth round of talks on Kosovo-Metohija completed in Vienna

Belgrade/Vienna, 5 May 2006

The fourth round of negotiations on decentralisation of Kosovo-Metohija, within the framework of which, proposals for forming new municipalities in Kosovo-Metohija were examined, finished today in Vienna without resulting in any agreement on disputable issues.

Deputy Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the talks on the status of Kosovo and Metohija Alber Roan told a press conference following the negotiations that the next round will be held on May 23, in Vienna.

Member of the Belgrade team for political talks on the future status of Kosovo-Meothija and Advisor to the Serbian Prime Minister Slobodan Samardzic said that the Belgrade team will insist on its proposal regarding the formation of new municipalities, which was put forward during the fourth round of negotiations.

He said that the Belgrade and Pristina teams talked on the formation of new municipalities and adjustment of existing municipality borders, and the Albanian side came up with the proposal of three new municipalities “which would not even in fact be real municipalities”. He added that they proposed the north Mitrovica municipality under condition that it is part of the city of Mitrovica, and Gracanica as a municipality only if it is under the authority of city of Prisitina.

The Belgrade team’s proposal of forming 13 new municipalities is based on strictly defined criteria – density of population, which assumes that return to Kosovo-Metohija is the main reason for forming new municipalities, private as well as social ownership of land and also land owned by the church, and the territorial distribution of churches and monasteries. The aim is to connect churches and monasteries with municipalities where it is possible to do so, explained Samardzic.

This plan is not for bargaining. It is a proposal that is based on concrete criteria, said Samardzic. He added that the Serb proposal can be rejected only if the criteria adopted by both sides are disregarded.