Agreement on crossings “unacceptable”

Source: B92, Beta, Tanjug

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- The agreement between Belgrade and Priština is unacceptable to Kosovo Serbs, Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić told B92.

Krstimir Pantić (Tanjug, file)

“From what we have heard from the media, the things that (Belgrade team chief) Borislav Stefanović agreed with the Kosovo Albanian delegation are unacceptable to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The citizens are disappointed and angry with Mr. Stefanović,” he pointed out.
The Kosovska Mitrovica mayor explained that the Kosovo Serbs believed that the Serbian parliament should hold an emergency session so the MPs could discuss the agreements reached in Brussels.

“The barricades have not been built in order to prevent Serbia from getting the EU candidate status. Everybody knows that the Serbs set the barricades on the night of July 25 when Priština carried out a unilateral action aimed at establishing control in the north of the province and establishing so-called institutions of independent Kosovo. Therefore, the barricades are not directed against the Serbian government or its attempts to join the EU and they are not directed against KFOR or other international organizations but exclusively against the institutions of the so-called Republic of Kosovo. They will remain as long as there are attempts to establish the institutions of the so-called state of Kosovo. We are obligated to do so by the declaration passed by the Serbian parliament on July 31 and we will abide to the declaration as long as we can,” Pantić stressed.

“Heads of northern Kosovo municipalities, councilors and the Serbian people can make their decision whether to accept the agreements from Brussels only after they have received the original version of the agreement,” said Zvečan Mayor Dragiša Milović.

He pointed out that there would be no problems if the agreements were good for Serbia because it meant that they were good for Kosovo Serbs as well.

Milović said that there were many ambiguities regarding the Brussels agreements and stressed that Kosovo Serb representatives did not get to see any of the agreements and that Kosovo Serbs therefore had every reason to be suspicious.

Zubin Potok Mayor Slaviša Ristić has assessed that the Belgrade authorities have finally recognized Kosovo’s independence by accepting the agreement on the crossings.