Conditions set to Serbia unacceptable

“It is a fact that what Pristina as a concession for the sake of the agreement constitutes no essential progress, and Serbia will not turn the association of Serb municipalities into an NGO,” Drecun pointed out in his address to the reporters in the Serbian parliament. He said that no progress has been made in terms of respect for even the medium level of Serbia's requests and propositions for a compromise solution and that Pristina is trying to offer an irresponsible option as a solution, with Brussels' assistance. “If they want progress in the dialogue, the other side will have to invest efforts as well, because Belgrade has done all it could,” Drecun noted. The biggest problem in the dialogue lies in the fact that Pristina is not willing to close an essential compromise - to grant executive powers to the association of Serb municipalities, Drecun said and added that without certain executive powers, there can be no room for an agreement. “This is why it is up to (High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine) Ashton to exert pressure on Pristina,” Drecun noted. It is time for the Serbian government to consult the National Assembly as to the steps which need to be taken under these circumstances because room is opening for speculations since the details of the talks in Brussels have not been made public. “The public needs to know what problems we are facing,” Drecun noted and added that he does not see a chance for the dialogue to be interrupted since the slightest progress restores hope that a sustainable solution can be reached.