Petkovic: Kurti does not want any dialogue, forming ZSO is Pristina's obligation

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic addressed the public on Monday regarding the recent events in Serbia's southern province.

Recommended

"Ever since the talks in Brussels ended, Albin Kurti has been entangled in lies. He did the same today when it comes to Belgrade and the dialogue process. He is doing this to cover up the clear condemnation from the EU, when (Josep) Borrell said that the only culprit for the failure of the talks is Kurti and Pristina who refuse to form the ZSO (Community of Serb Municipalities). When he says that he will not form the ZSO or enter into talks as specified in the agreements, he does not want negotiations, dialogue or compromise," said Petkovic.

Petkovic added that Kurti does not want to discuss deescalation, while Aleksandar Vucic has shown that he is ready for compromise solutions.

"Compromise is the only way to protect the Serb people. We delivered to Lajcak a list of incidents targeting the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija. Since June 3, when the EU demanded an immediate deescalation from Kurti, we have had 22 escalating moves by Pristina against the Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija. Instead of listening to the EU, Kurti has no intention of going in that direction. Even as we are talking, he is sending the police to Zvecan. They want to drive the Serbs out of a Serb building housing the institutions that provide aid to tens of thousands of people. Instead of deescalation, we see a deterioration of the situation from Kurti's side," he said.

Petkovic added that the police are still present, they are just not in the immediate vicinity of the buildings.

"He said at a news conference today that the measures they adopted are not yielding results. He is thus saying that he continues to threaten the Serbs. He said today that Kosovo will not suffer and pay due to some alleged ill-intent of the Serb List, instead confirming the notion that it is the Serbs and the Serb List who will suffer and pay. Has anyone responded to these threats? Of course not. Nowhere is it explicitly said that Pristina is to blame for the escalation, it is said that the responsibility is divided between two sides and that it is not only Kurti who is to blame, but also Belgrade. We are negotiating under impossible conditions, particularly with Kurti, who is refusing everything," added Petkovic.

He said that for Belgrade, a compromise is a way to preserve peace and the lives of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

"Kurti will continue to use fabrications and many tricks. He does not want the ZSO, and Vucic also said that is the case. For 3,804 days Pristina has failed to form the ZSO, and that represents the backbone of the dialogue. Vucic sincerely and strongly fights for the dialogue, and Kurti is refusing something that is Pristina's obligation," said Petkovic.

He stressed that Pristina's obligation (from the Brussels Agreement) is to form the Community of Serb Municipalities.

"We have been going to Brussels all these years to negotiate because we do not recognize Kosovo as a state and we are looking for solutions there, while Kurti refers to some constitution that does not exist, Federica Mogherini (ex-EU foreing policy chief) and newspaper articles. What has been done by the management team is being sidelined, the four agreements on the formation of the ZSO and everything else. I'm really worried about the situation on the ground," he said.

Petkovic reiterated that there is no other solution than a political one, and one reached in Brussels.

"Kurti does not want any elections or agreements about anything, he is taking everyone for a ride. Imagine if Vucic made such a threat against the Albanians, we would have been bombed by now, even though we now have a much stronger Army than in 1999," said the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

(Telegraf.rs)