Belgrade recommends Serb boycott of Kosovo elections
The Belgrade authorities have called on the Kosovo Serbs to boycott the November 17 Kosovo elections, after the government and president of Serbia concluded that neither political, security or human rights conditions for their participation were met in the province.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, September 14, 2007
"The government of Serbia believes that even afer eight years since the arrival of the UN mission in Kosovo, the basic conditions for a free and secure life of the Serbs and other non-Albanians have not been met in the province", an official statement said.
"It is particularly defeating that two-thirds of the Kosovo Serbs still live as displaced people outside Kosovo and are not allowed to return to their homes", the government underlined, adding its decision was made in full concertation with the Serbian president Boris Tadic.
Tadic said earlier he had "no right" to call on the Serbs to participate.
"We respect the rights of Albanians, but we want also to protect the rights of the Kosovo Serbs", Tadic said.
He reminded that three years ago, he had called on the Serbs to participate in the Kosovo elections under the condition that their rights in decentralization, health, education, police and justice would be met.
"Unfortunately, these conditions have not been met and I do not have the right today to call on them to participate in the Kosovo elections", Tadic said.
EU High Representative for foreign and security policy Javier Solana said this week he disagreed with the Belgrade stand - arguing it would be "better for the Serbs to participate" - but added he would respect the position of the Serbian authorities.
While the stand of the governing coalition is united, the minor opposition Liberal-Democratic Party called for Serb participation "in order to resolve their daily problems" with the Kosovo institutions.
Several minor local Serbian movements in Kosovo submitted electoral lists and two Kosovo Serb politicians - Oliver Ivanovic and Rada Trajkovic - also called for participation.
Less than one percent of Serb voters cast their ballots in October 2004 polls.
The United Nations chief for Kosovo, Joachim Rucker, called the elections for November 17.
Following the vote, the 120-seat parliament will elect a new president and Prime minister.
Rucker could postpone the election date "should there be a conflict, in particular should the holding of elections be used as an excuse to delay status."
