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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Ethnic Albanians should be pressed if Vienna talks are to make headway

Belgrade, 11 September 2006

Slobodan Samardzic, coordinator of the Serbian government's negotiating team for the future status of Kosovo-Metohija and Advisor to the Serbian President, said yesterday that if any progress is to be achieved at the upcoming round of talks in Vienna, it is necessary that international mediators, led by Martti Ahtisaari, exert pressure on ethnic Albanians.

In a statement to the Tanjug news agency, Samardzic said that the negotiations will not make any headway unless the UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the future status process for Kosovo (UNOSEK) manages to convince ethnic Albanians to accept the reasons for the formation of new municipalities in the province. This kind of pressure is necessary because ethnic Albanians behave "as if the situation in Kosovo-Metohija is perfectly normal and they are surprised at the fact that the Serbs demand new municipalities and new competences, claiming that there is no such thing in Europe."

He said that ethnic Albanians will not accept the factual reality that Kosovo has been cleansed of Serbs, that an astonishing ethnic pogrom has been carried out and that people must return to their homes in Kosovo. Such ethnic Albanian stance is the reason why UNOSEK should discuss with them the issue of their debt toward their fellow citizens in the province, said Samardzic.

According to Samardzic, the point of the talks is not to "bid" on the number of new municipalities, but to apply Belgrade's criteria for the formation of new municipalities that has already been accepted in the course of the talks.

"Belgrade's demand for 12 municipalities is realistic. We can discuss certain cadastre units within a municipality and if there is ethnic Albanian majority there, the unit can be attached to a neighbouring ethnic Albanian municipality. It will not be a problem", said Samardzic.

He stressed that it is necessary to sort out the problem while keeping in mind the goals, which are to give the Serbs a place where they can live and be safe, because they are now endangered, and to give them a perspective and homes to which they can return.

Samardzic reiterated that after UNMIK's failure to help Serbs return to larger towns, Belgrade insists on creating the space for the return of Serbs and the formation of returnee municipalities. The fact that ethnic Albanians did not agree to form returnee municipalities is a refusal to allow the Serbs to come back and it has to be presented as such. There is a reason for each municipality to be established which is why the upcoming talks will be difficult, concluded Samardzic.