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Serbian negotiating team rejects principle of succession in case of Kosovo-Metohija
Vienna,
23 February 2007
Member of the Serbian negotiating team for talks on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija Dejan Popovic said today that in today’s negotiations held in Vienna during the earlier part of the day, the Serbian team rejected the principle of succession as a way of resolving economic issues between Kosovo-Metohija and Serbia.
Dejan Popovic
Author:
Fonet
Speaking to the press in the Austria Centre, Popovic said that the case of Kosovo-Metohija is not a question of succession, which has been forwarded as a method of solving most of the economic issues between Serbia and Kosovo-Metohija, in the proposal presented by UN Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari.
He recalled that that question has already been settled by the Badinter Commission as an issue of relations between republics of the former Yugoslavia, and Kosovo-Metohija did not have the status of a republic. He explained that Kosovo-Metohija had the status of a province within the Republic of Serbia and the rules of succession cannot be applied to a province.
Popovic said that the Serbian negotiating team has rejected the principle of succession through amendments, and added that it cannot be automatically implemented in this case and the Serbian team was convincing in this argument.
He said that in the negotiations held in the earlier part of the day representatives of the Belgrade and Pristina delegations discussed the question of debt and public companies in Kosovo-Metohija, and pointed to the fact that there is a significant difference in the positions of the two sides.
We insisted on the principle which stems from the stand that that debt should be the obligation of the government which collects the taxes and on whose territory the end- user is present, said Popovic.
According to Popovic, the Serbian team said that in cases of public companies the UNMIK carried out expropriation of properties which Serbian companies owned in Kosovo-Metohija prior to 1999.
Popovic said that the issue of restitution of property in Kosovo-Metohija will be discussed in the latter half of the negotiations to be held today.
He recalled that that question has already been settled by the Badinter Commission as an issue of relations between republics of the former Yugoslavia, and Kosovo-Metohija did not have the status of a republic. He explained that Kosovo-Metohija had the status of a province within the Republic of Serbia and the rules of succession cannot be applied to a province.
Popovic said that the Serbian negotiating team has rejected the principle of succession through amendments, and added that it cannot be automatically implemented in this case and the Serbian team was convincing in this argument.
He said that in the negotiations held in the earlier part of the day representatives of the Belgrade and Pristina delegations discussed the question of debt and public companies in Kosovo-Metohija, and pointed to the fact that there is a significant difference in the positions of the two sides.
We insisted on the principle which stems from the stand that that debt should be the obligation of the government which collects the taxes and on whose territory the end- user is present, said Popovic.
According to Popovic, the Serbian team said that in cases of public companies the UNMIK carried out expropriation of properties which Serbian companies owned in Kosovo-Metohija prior to 1999.
Popovic said that the issue of restitution of property in Kosovo-Metohija will be discussed in the latter half of the negotiations to be held today.
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