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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbian government committed to improving rights and particularities of national minorities

Belgrade, 17 February 2005

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said today at a meeting with OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekeus that the Serbian government pays special attention to national minorities and improvement of their national, ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural particularities. He added that the National Minorities Council has been set up of representatives of 11 national minorities in the country.

Kostunica said that the government is also committed to improving the rights of the Roma community, as Serbia is a state party to the Declaration on Roma that was adopted in early February at the international meeting in Sofia called "Decade of Roma Inclusion".

The Prime Minister pointed to problems which Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija are faced with. He stressed that their basic human rights are violated, that they do not have freedom of movement or employment possibilities. He said that it is necessary to provide additional institutional guarantees for Serbs and other non-Albanians in the province.

Ekeus welcomed the formation of the National Minorities Council, as well as efforts of Serbian state organs to facilitate integration of the ethnic Albanian community in southern Serbia. He agreed with Kostunica that human rights are not respected in Kosovo-Metohija and called for greater engagement of OSCE in the province. The OSCE High Commissioner said that he has recognised that all national minorities in Vojvodina are willing to solve possible differences through dialogue and mutual respect.