No agreement between Kosovo Serbs, Dacic, Vucic
A meeting between Kosovo Serbs, Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic ended without an agreement on Tuesday.
(kosovocompromisestuff) Tuesday, April 30, 2013
After three hours of talks, the Serbs from northern Kosovo and the highest representatives of the government in Belgrade reached no agreement concerning the issue of accepting the agreement reached between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels and the option of calling a referendum on whether or not to accept document.
The Kosovo Serbs are demanding from the Constitutional Court to first give its opinion on whether the Brussels agreement violates the fundamental law of the country. Only then can we think of a referendum, they add.
At the meeting today, the northern Kosovo Serbs were represented by Deputy Director of the government's Office for KiM Krstimir Pantic, heads of the four northern Kosovo municipalities and the head of the Kosovska Mitrovica District.
During the meeting, a group of Serbs who live in municipalities south of the Ibar river, who arrived in Belgrade to express their views on the Brussels-based document, were left in front of the government building.
Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said after a meeting with representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo that a referendum on the Brussels agreement "is obviously not an option for them," and stressed the government will not change its course and has mechanisms to implement the agreement.
After a three-hour meeting, Dacic told a news conference at the government building that nothing would be gained from a referendum since the Serbs in northern Kosovo would not accept its results.
"A referendum is obviously not an option for them: first, we do not have time to debate this issue for months; second, they are asking that the constitutionality of the agreement be determined first; and third, they say documents which violate the Constitution cannot be implemented. Then why do we need a referendum," asked Dacic.
Dacic said the Serbs from northern Kosovo realize the majority of Serbian citizens accept the Brussels agreement, as opinion polls have shown, and that the government cannot allow someone to drag the whole country deeper into disaster.
He said the government has mechanisms to implement the agreement: it can stop paying out salaries, thus shutting down parallels institutions, but it wants to reach at least the minimum agreement with the Serbs from the north.
The Kosovo Serbs are demanding from the Constitutional Court to first give its opinion on whether the Brussels agreement violates the fundamental law of the country. Only then can we think of a referendum, they add.
At the meeting today, the northern Kosovo Serbs were represented by Deputy Director of the government's Office for KiM Krstimir Pantic, heads of the four northern Kosovo municipalities and the head of the Kosovska Mitrovica District.
During the meeting, a group of Serbs who live in municipalities south of the Ibar river, who arrived in Belgrade to express their views on the Brussels-based document, were left in front of the government building.
Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said after a meeting with representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo that a referendum on the Brussels agreement "is obviously not an option for them," and stressed the government will not change its course and has mechanisms to implement the agreement.
After a three-hour meeting, Dacic told a news conference at the government building that nothing would be gained from a referendum since the Serbs in northern Kosovo would not accept its results.
"A referendum is obviously not an option for them: first, we do not have time to debate this issue for months; second, they are asking that the constitutionality of the agreement be determined first; and third, they say documents which violate the Constitution cannot be implemented. Then why do we need a referendum," asked Dacic.
Dacic said the Serbs from northern Kosovo realize the majority of Serbian citizens accept the Brussels agreement, as opinion polls have shown, and that the government cannot allow someone to drag the whole country deeper into disaster.
He said the government has mechanisms to implement the agreement: it can stop paying out salaries, thus shutting down parallels institutions, but it wants to reach at least the minimum agreement with the Serbs from the north.
