Belgrade: No need for secret talks

11 August 2010 | 15:49 | Source: FoNet, Beta

BELGRADE -- Officials in Belgrade and Priština have been denying involvement in "secret Kosovo talks". Oliver Ivanović (Tanjug, file) Kosovo and Metohija Ministry State Secretary Oliver Ivanović said on Wednesday that Serbia cannot accept direct talks with Kosovo Albanian officials without UNMIK's presence. Ivanovoić told KIM Radio that while Belgrade and Priština should converse, secret talks "cannot be useful". "It makes sense that in this atmosphere there is need to talk about those issues important for the survival of the Serb population in Kosovo and Metohija," he said. However, the state secretary added that such negotiations should be held in the presence of international representatives. "The format (of the talks) cannot be decided on like that, it must be a format where UNMIK and EULEX will be included regarding the issues related to security," said he. According to Ivanović, negotiations are in the interest of "local population and the entire region", while the problems faced by Serbs in Kosovo "cannot be solved in secret talks". "This state of affairs is not sustainable in the long run because it creates tensions that could escalate at some point. Serbs face many problems in their everyday lives and those problems could only be solved in direct talks," Ivanović was quoted as saying.