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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Six key priority issues in talks between Belgrade, UNMIK

Belgrade, 4 November 2008

Minister for Kosovo-Metohija, Goran Bogdanovic, stated today that any civilian mission in Kosovo-Metohija is unacceptable for Belgrade if it is deployed without the Security Council’s approval and outside Resolution 1244, i.e. if it intends to implement the Ahtisaari plan.

File photo of Goran Bogdanovic

Author: Fonet

In an interview for today’s edition of the Vecernje Novosti daily, Bogdanovic stressed that talks on the six issues listed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are priorities in the talks between Belgrade and UNMIK.

The Serbian government’s official web site gives the interview in full.

What do Ban Ki-moon’s six items imply?

Reaching agreement on functional issues regarding everyday lives of Serbs and other non-ethnic Albanians in the province is of essential importance for us. Solving issues of the judiciary, police, customs, the protection of cultural and religious facilities, transport of goods and traffic are crucial for the survival of Serbs in the province. This is why the talks with UNMIK are so important for us and we intend to continue them until we reach an agreement. I believe we will make it, especially because all the items I listed are a precondition for normal life and the basic human rights of Serbs and other non-ethnic Albanians.

How far along are we in talks on EULEX?

Our stance is explicit and clear. UNMIK reconfiguration, which implies a possible arrival of a new civilian mission to the province, cannot be carried out without Belgrade’s approval and consent. Our terms are also well known: there has to be an approval by the Security Council and a guarantee that the mandate of a new mission must not be implemented outside Resolution 1244. Only then and under these terms will Belgrade accept the EULEX mission. Everything else is pure speculation.

A UN official mentioned the possibility of an administrative division of Kosovo as a guarantee for accepting EULEX: It is well known that the Serbian government has never proposed the division as an official solution or a possibility. I think that this cannot be a good solution, because of all the Serbs living in various parts of the province. I also believe that such a division will cause additional problems and difficulties, which is why this option is unacceptable. Our intention is to continue talks on the province’s status after we reach agreement on the six principles of Ban Ki-moon’s plan, because we think the status issue has not been solved as we will never accept the current solution as a realistic option.

UN, that is, EULEX officials are announcing deployment before December:

The entire situation and numerous ambiguities caused by unreliable information regarding the mission have given rise to doubts and distrust amongst Serbs in the province. I repeat, Belgrade will persevere in its stance on the well known terms for accepting the EULEX mission and, until then, UNMIK will be the only legal mission in the field. It will remain like that until a new decision by the Security Council on the arrival of some other civilian mission, which must be status neutral and in accordance with Resolution 1244 and which must not implement the Ahtisaari plan.

Are we any nearer to a solution in our talks with UNMIK?

We hold talks with UNMIK on a daily basis and I think we will have to find a solution for the above mentioned issues as that is in our mutual interest. Only then will this mission be justified in the field, otherwise the already difficult state of the province would be even graver, particularly for Serbs and other non-ethnic Albanians.

The Ministry has formed an internal three member committee to control the distribution of funds for the province:

Of around RSD 40 billion annually earmarked for Kosovo, the relevant Ministry sets aside 6%–7% of its total funds. Local self-governments decide on the distribution of funds and they are responsible for any embezzlement or unrealized projects for which funds were misused.