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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Legal team to defend Serbia’s state interests

Belgrade, 28 February 2008

Serbian Minister of Education Zoran Loncar stated today that the task of the Serbian legal team formed by the government today will be to establish the measures to be taken and before which international courts Serbia can defend its state interests following the illegal and unilateral declaration of independence by the province of Kosovo-Metohija.

Zoran Loncar at today's press conference

Loncar told a press conference that the team’s coordinators will be advisors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Kosovo-Metohija, Sasa Obradovic and Milos Jovanovic respectively, who should suggest team members before the next government session.

Loncar said that he as lawyer thinks that this case falls within the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in relation to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia after some countries recognised the unilateral declaration of independence by the province.

He said that he informed members of the government at the session about the situation regarding education in Kosovo-Metohija after the declaration of independence, and presented the proposal to provide scholarships and free of charge text books to all schoolchildren in the areas where schools function according to Serbia’s education plan.

The Minister said that he expects that the government will provide a legal and financial foundation for implementing this proposal so that Serbs who are still in Kosovo-Metohija are able to continue living there.

Speaking about European integration, Loncar said that this is not a question of whether Serbia wishes to join the EU or not, rather the EU must make it clear if it recognises Serbia within its borders or not.

He said that the government at its session today also considered the possibility of rebalancing the budget in order to meet the increased needs of state institutions in Kosovo-Metohija, and added that no specific decision was reached on the matter.