"Hoti's positions must change or dialogue won't work": Drecun comments on new Pristina government

Photo: Tanjug/AP

Members of the Assembly in Pristina voted to elect a new government yesterday, and Belgrade is now expecting a withdrawal of trade measures, which are an obstacle to the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Milovan Drecun, the chairman of the Serbian National Assembly's Committee on Kosovo and Metohija, has told RTS that he has great reservations about what that new government will do.

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The new government in Pristina is led by Avdulah Hoti, who pointed out that the dialogue with Belgrade is of vital importance and that the roles of the EU and the US in that process are inseparable.

"Those words always promise, while deeds speak," Drecun commented and added that Belgrade must wait and see what the behavior of that new majority, the so-called government will be like, because all the previous ones made a lot of promises when it comes to the position of the Serb people and the dialogue with Belgrade, but in reality did everything to prevent it.

He believes that Avdulah Hoti completely closed the space for talks with Belgrade with what he said in his address.

"I mean, there can be talks, but without results, if they stick to those positions. If he says that talks with Belgrade will take place within the framework of the so-called constitution that defines Kosovo as a state and if he says that talks will end with mutual recognition," said Drecun.

He reiterated that Serbia is an internationally recognized state, a member of the UN, with a border that is defined, and which does not run through Jarinje but through Mt. Prokletije - and stressed that no one can change that by force.

"When you hear such positions and when you bear in mind that resolution that Pristina passed, on the principles for talks with Belgrade, then you see that there is no room for any compromise solution and that the intention of Albanians and those from the international community who stand with them is to force Belgrade to actually recognize that self-proclaimed state of Kosovo through the continuation of those talks and some legally binding agreement," said Drecun.

"I have great reservations about what that new government will do," said Drecun.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)