Belgrade insists on executive powers for Serbs in Kosovo

Source: Večernje novosti

BELGRADE -- PM Ivica Dačić has said ahead of a meeting in Brussels that "nothing less than an association of Serb municipalities with executive powers" would be accepted.

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It could become clear as soon as this Monday what the EU really is demanding from Serbia, and whether it finds acceptable Belgrade's proposal for an association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija to have executive powers.
Dačić told Belgrade's Večernje Novosti daily that after the meeting on Monday at the seat of the EU things might become clearer - whether it is possible to find a solution for the Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija.

"We cannot accept anything that does not provide the functioning and survival of the Serbs and the Serb community in Kosovo. Priština rejects our proposal for a union of Serb municipalities, but we will not accept anything below that. We do not agree that the Serb community only gains the right to organize folk performances and issue newsletters. We insist on executive powers and will tell this completely clearly to officials in Brussels," he was quoted as saying.

Dačić also assured that Serbia "will not give up its policy and the compromise solution that it is offering" in exchange for being given a date for the start of EU membership negotiations.

"The moment has come for us to talk with our European partners openly and honestly about the continuation of our European integrations as well. Everyone needs to be clear that Serbia will not change its positions in order to get a start date for EU negotiations in the summer. That in no way means that we are giving up on the European path of Serbia. Serbia absolutely deserves a date," he stressed.