Leaders of Albanian parties cease talks with government

PRESEVO - Leaders of ethnic Albanian political parties from southern Serbia's municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja have decided unanimously to end their talks with the Serbian government, member of the national parliament from the Coalition of the Albanians of the Presevo Valley Riza Haljimi said on Saturday.

The reason for the decision is the rejection of the amendments Haljimi proposed to the bill on the court network law adopted by the Serbian parliament this week.

A unanimous decision was made to end the talks with the Serbian government on the seven points, which refer to the education, healthcare, economy, judiciary, use of national symbols and language, Haljimi pointed out.

"This thing with the courts was the last straw in terms of solving the problems in southern Serbia," he stated.

"We did not decide to stop the talks, but the Serbian government decided it instead when it sent such a discriminatory bill for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja to the parliament," he said.

He proposed amendments to open a basic court and prosecutor's office in Presevo and police court and prosecutor's office in Bujanovac.

The law, however, states that the basic court would be in Bujanovac, the prosecutor's office in nearby Vranje and that the police court would be in Presevo.

"The point of the next very serious topic that we were to discuss was lost," Haljimi said.

Dacic calls on Albanian party leaders not to end talks

Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on Saturday that the leaders of ethnic Albanian parties from southern Serbia had not reason to end their talks with the government and called on them not to do it, because they had no one else to make agreements with.

He said he had been informed that the leaders of ethnic Albanian parties from Serbia's southern municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and medvedja were not happy with the new court network law regarding its provisions on courts and prosecutors' offices.

"I do not know what is in question and I think there is no reason for that, and if they do no want to talk to us, who will they talk to? They have no one," he told reporters.

The leaders of ethnic Albanian political parties from southern Serbia's municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja have decided unanimously to end their talks with the Serbian government, member of the national parliament from the Coalition of the Albanians of the Presevo Valley Riza Haljimi said on Saturday.

The reason for the decision is the rejection of the amendments Haljimi proposed to the bill on the court network law adopted by the Serbian parliament this week.

Based on the talks with ethnic Albanian representatives from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja in January and February, which were attended by OSCE officials, the Serbian government adopted in June a platform consisting 7 points, whose implementation has begun in the meantime.

The platform refers to the presence of ethnic Albanians in government institutions, economic recovery of the three municipalities, official use of the Albanian language and national symbols, decentralization of the judiciary, education, culture, media, healthcare, social security, security and measures to establish trust in the three municipalities in southern Serbia where the ethnic Albanian minority lives.

Stankovic: Policy of demands brings good to no one

Head of the coordinating body for the municipalities Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja Zoran Stankovic said on Saturday, commenting on the statements by ethnic Albanians' political leaders in southern Serbia that they would stop the talks with Belgrade, that a policy of demands brought no one any good.

"We have not been officially informed about the views of the Albanian leaders from the three municipalities, and the coordinating body will continue to solve the problems of the people in that area and, within the limits of its capabilities, ensure a better life for the people," Stankovic noted.

When asked if the talks would contiue, he replied that they had not been stopped.

"The talks have to continue and it is up to them to decide when," he pointed out.

The people's lives will go on normally, he added.

"We, as the Serbian government, have no right to stop paying the scholarship of 250 students from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja... I cannot ask that the construction of a maternity hospital in Presevo be stopped, I cannot ask that the scholarships for university students across Serbia be cancelled, for the construction of a student building in Bujanovac to stop, I cannot behave irresponsibly towards the citizens," Stankovic stated.

Leaders of ethnic Albanian political parties from southern Serbia have decided unanimously to stop the talks with the Serbian government regarding 7 points, member of the Serbian parliament from the Coalition of the Albanians of the Presevo Valley Riza Haljimi said on Saturday.

The reason for the decision is the rejection of the amendments Haljimi proposed to the bill on the court network law adopted by the Serbian parliament last Wednesday.