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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Kosovo’s exclusion from visa-free regime not related to province’s status

Belgrade/Brussels, 16 July 2009

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic stated last night in Brussels that Kosovo-Metohija’s exclusion from the EU’s via-free regime does not imply an indirect recognition of the province’s independence.

Dacic, who visited Brussels yesterday, told Radio Television Serbia that the European Commission’s document on terms of visa abolishment states that Serbia must improve control of the administrative line with Kosovo when it comes to terrorism, crime and smuggling, but added that the word ‘border’ was not used.

He recalled that a number of agreements which Serbia signed with the international community from 1999 onwards contained a provision stating that they will be implemented in line with Resolution 1244, which means they did not refer to the territory of Kosovo-Metohija.

According to the Resolution, the southern Serbian province is under the temporary administration of the international community, Dacic said, recalling that Serbia has signed the CEFTA agreements on free trade, textiles, the agreement on an energy community, as well as the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU.

It is very important that the explanation of Kosovo-Metohija’s exclusion from the visa-free regime was not elaborated upon in such a way as to prejudge the province’s future status, but was done solely for security reasons, Dacic stressed.

He said the province does not fulfil the criteria needed for visa liberalisation, noting that the fact that it is excluded from the visa-free regime shows that the international community did not establish rule of law on the province’s territory.

European countries stated that the reasons for the province’s exclusion were fear of illegal migration, asylum seekers, the spread of crime, terrorism and drug trafficking, Dacic said, adding that these activities are linked with Albanian terrorist groups.

He recalled that the Serbian police cooperate with their UN colleagues, adding that a similar protocol on cooperation with the EU mission is underway.

This cooperation will be based primarily on the fight against terrorism, crime and illegal drug trafficking, the Minister said, noting that Serbia wants the agreement on cooperation with EULEX to be defined on the basis of Resolution 1244, the UN Secretary General’s report and the six-item plan on the acceptance of the EU’s mission in the province.

Cooperation on security issues is indispensable and this is best proved by the latest arrest of 24 members of one of the best organised criminal groups in the region, which dealt with smuggling humans, the Deputy Prime Minister said.