Official: Northern Serbs won't accept Priština's plan

Source: Beta

BELGRADE -- Ministry for Kosovo official Oliver Ivanović says a concrete agreement on the status of Kosovo, and its northern part, can be reached only through dialogue.

Oliver Ivanović (Beta, file)

Commenting on the Kosovo Albanian government's announcements that they would in September "offer a plan for a dialogue on northern Kosovo", Ivanović said:
"Priština is aware that it cannot have any influence or sovereignty in the north, and under pressure from some in the international community, it is launching a new plan. However, it must be aware that any plan, even the best there could be, an ideal plan, will not be accepted by Serbs and Serbia".

Serbs are the majority population north of the Ibar River, and reject the authority of the government in Priština, as well as the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, made over four years ago.

Priština's announcements stated that its plan aimed to "integrate" northern Kosovo into what it said was "the constitutional and legal system of the country", while it would be realized "through a dialogue with representatives of Serbs from the north".

Furthermore, the government in Priština is suggesting that "Belgrade should join the dialogue in its final phases", with the role of "making sure that the agreement is honored".

But Ivanović dismissed these announcements by saying that he was "absolutely certain that no Serb representatives will be found in the north for such a thing".

The plan will be unacceptable, he continued, for as long as there is no concrete agreement reached through dialogue, that would represent a political framework for the status of Kosovo and of the north.

"By launching its plans for integration of the north Priština is rushing in order to improve its position before we arrive at practical negotiations," Ivanović believes.

Ivanović also noted that the authorities in Priština were "preparing to offer a solution, instead of preparing for negotiations", and said this was "a reverse process", while the initiative was "something that should come at the end".