Azimov: Inter-ethnic relations in Kosovo at dead-end

VIENNA, June 21 (Tanjug) - The situation regarding inter-ethnic relations in Kosovo is still at a dead-end and there has been virtually no progress in overcoming the deep-seated differences between the Serbian and the ethnic Albanian community, Head of the Russian Federation's permanent mission with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Anvar Azimov said in Vienna on Monday.

A particular cause for concern are the self-proclaimed Kosovo authorities' uncompromising attempts to implement the so-called strategy for northern Kosovo, aimed at the violent suppression of local administrations in Serb populated areas, Azimov said at a session of the OSCE Permanent Council, reported Russian news agency Itar-Tass.

The Russian representative warned that such unilateral activity has great potential to cause a new spiral of inter-ethnic conflict which can seriously destabilize the entire region.

Azimov expressed concern over the lack of preventive measures and the reaction of international representatives - including the OSCE Mission in Kosovo - when Albanian authorities in Kosovo dismantled the base stations of Serbian cell phone carriers in predominantly Sebs areas.

The Russian representative said that a legal and political assessment is needed on the new restrictions placed on Serbian citizens entering Kosovo.

Otherwise, the Kosovo Albanians will start believing they are above the law and will continue to make irresponsible moves, Azimov said, stressing that there has been no progress in the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as their basic safety, housing, employment and health care.

According to Azimov, there are still fundamental problems with the protection of the Serbian religious and cultural heritage.

Reminding of the OSCE Mission's recent report on the armed attack against Serb returnees to the village of Zac, he said that the Kosovo police was unable to prevent the attack and that Russia is concerned about the protection of important heritage sites being turned over to the Kosovo police.

Council of Europe to open dialogue with Kosovo Paliament

STRASBOURG, June 21 (Tanjug) - President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Mevlut Cavusoglu announced a possible dialogue between the PACE and the Kosovo Parliament, but added that it would be in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and with Serbia's interest in mind.

PACE thinks that a dialogue with the Kosovo Parliament is needed to discuss issues of common interest, but that it should be done while keeping in mind Serbia's concerns and interests and respecting UN SC Resolution 1244, Cavusoglu told a news conference in Strasbourg.

The PACE president added that the council advocated pragmatism and neutrality in its latest report on Kosovo.

PACE started its summer session on Monday. It is set to discuss Kosovo in detail on Tuesday.

Rapporteur of the Council of Europe Political Affairs Committee Bjorn von Sydow will present his report on Kosovo on Tuesday, June 22, and a resolution is expected to be adopted based on that document.

Sydow's report underscores the council's impartial stance regarding the situation in Kosovo, focusing on standards rather than status.

Sydow stresses the poor conditions in Kosovo when it comes to law and also puts emphasis on corruption in government institutions and problems that ethnic minorities face.

Four people killed, one injured in Kosovo

GNJILANE, June 21 (Tanjug) - Four people were shot and killed and another injured in an incident early Monday in the vicinity of Kosovska Vitina.

Kosovo Police Service (KPS) Regional Spokesman Ismet Hasani told Tanjug that two of the victims are from Kosovo and two from Macedonia.

"A shooting on the Vitina-Klokot road was reported to the police early this morning. At the scene, we found three dead bodies in one car," the KPS spokesman said.

He added that the fourth person died at the hospital in Gnjilane and that the fifth has been hospitalized and does not have life-threatening injuries.

Hasani did not want to disclose the identity of the victims nor the nationality of the injured individual.

The spokesman added that the police have no indication as to the motives behind the incident, that no one has been arrested and an investigation has been started.

The incident occurred in a village near the Macedonian border.

After ICJ's opinion,invitation to agreement through dialogue

VIENNA, June 21 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic expressed in Vienna on Monday his expectation that, after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gives its advisory opinion on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the UN General Assembly will invite the parties to arrive at consensual solutions to all outstanding issues peacefully, through dialogue.

Addressing the OSCE Permanent Council, Jeremic said that Serbia responded to UDI with maximal restraint, in a way wholly unknown to the Balkan experience, without the use of unilateral counter-measures and requesting the opinion of the ICJ.

"The ICJ will be reporting back to the UN in the near future. We do not expect the ensuing debate in the General Assembly to be particularly divisive. The only logical outcome would be to invite the parties to arrive at consensual solutions to all outstanding issues peacefully, through dialogue instead of unilateralism," Jeremic said.

He underscored Serbia's position that UDI is an outcome that no Serbian democratic leadership will ever be ready to accommodate - implicitly or explicitly, adding that no other country would act differently if it found itself in Serbia's situation.

Speaking about what Serbia wants, Jeremic said Serbia seeks a result that all parties can embrace.

"This is the only way to produce a viable, sustainable, and lasting peace - and the only way to help secure regional gains, reinforce shared strategic priorities, and complete the European transformation of the Balkans," he pointed out.

"We intend to be constructive and bold in conducting the dialogue that I am persuaded will shortly follow, because our sole aim is to achieve a compromise solution - acceptable to everyone - on all outstanding issues," Jeremic said.

He stressed that these include a number of practical matters, from the rule of law, to guaranteeing lasting international protection for Serbian holy sites, but also topics such as healthcare, education, telecommunications, electricity, as well as privatization of socially-owned enterprises, private property restitution and the return of more than 200,000 Kosovo Serb and Roma IDPs.

These are all truly important subjects, and Serbia will re-double its efforts to engage with all responsible stakeholders on finding pragmatic arrangements that would benefit all the residents of the territory, Jeremic said, adding that at the heart of all these difficulties lies a disagreement on the unilateral attempt at declaring sovereignty.

Jeremic underscored that the accumulated evidence of progress in the Balkans is conclusive, adding that regional cooperation has never stood on more solid ground than it does today, even on the most challenging issues such as Kosovo-Metohija.

Nevertheless, it is clear that the overall regional environment has become more complicated as a result the unilateral declaration of independence by the ethnic-Albanian authorities of the Serbian southern province of Kosovo-Metohija, Jeremic said.

Jeremic pointed out that the EU membership is the central strategic priority of the Republic of Serbia, adding that the most pro-European administration in Serbia's history has managed to produce significant results under very difficult circumstances.

"Despite obvious signs of the so-called 'enlargement fatigue,' we remain deeply committed to the EU accession process," he said.

Jeremic stressed that what is absolutely vital to sustain the positive momentum is for Serbia's EU membership application to be sent to the European Commission for consideration in the very near future.

Liht: Compromise should be found after ICJ ruling

BELGRADE, June 21 (Tanjug) - Vice President of the Foreign Policy Council of the Serbian Foreign Ministry Sonja Liht stated that she does not think that any radical moves will be made in favour of either Belgrade or Pristina after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) states its opinion on Kosovo's independence, but expects to see a comprehensive examination of both Belgrade's and Pristina's desires which would lead to a compromise.

“I believe that serious players in the international community understand that the danger of a frozen conflict can be overcome only if both sides (Serbia and Kosovo) gain something and lose something. One side coming out as an absolute winner, and the other as an absolute loser is not an option - the problem cannot be resolved that way,” Liht told Belgrade-based daily Blic.

Quoting certain well-informed sources, Blic claims that the ICJ will state its opinion on the legality of Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence on July 22.

Italian MP Piero Fassino told Blic that the European Union (EU) should encourage Pristina and Belgrade to return to the negotiating table and try to reach an agreement after the ICJ has made its decision.

Fassino expressed his hope that the EU will grant Serbia membership status as soon as possible, which would be a nice sign that Brussels supports EU integration of the entire Balkan region, and pointed out that the EU also needs to be more precise about the date of Serbia's accession.

Jeremic to address OSCE on Kosovo open issue

BELGRADE, June 21 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has announced that, at the session of OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, he will refer to the fact that regional relations have significantly improved, but that there is "only one serious, open and unresolved issue, and that is the issue of the future status of Kosovo."

"If Serbia has good relations with everyone in the region, and this is the only problem, then it is obviously not a problem with Serbia, but rather with interim authorities in Pristina," Jeremic said in a show on Pink television.

Jeremic pointed out that Serbia is ahead of "a great challenge, and that is the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and everything that comes after."

"We have a clear aim and a clear policy, there is no giving in, no withdrawing or change of policy," Jeremic stressed, adding that Serbia is ready for "rational talks with everyone" and for considering all reasonable suggestions, but added that the red lines remain marked by the Serbian Constitution and the political will of a vast majority of Serbian citizens."

"That will be my main message in Vienna," Jeremic said.

PACE summer session to include debate on Kosovo

STRASBOURG, June 21 (Tanjug) - The summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) begins in Strasbourg on Monday, and it will include a debate on the situation in Kosovo.

The session, which will be closed on June 25, will also be attended by the permanent delegation of the Serbian parliament, headed by Dragoljub Micunovic.

Rapporteur of the PACE Political Affairs Committee and former Swedish defense minister Bjorn von Sydow will submit his report on Kosovo on Tuesday, June 22, and the resolution based on his report is expected to be adopted at the session.

Sydow stressed the neutrality of the Council of Europe regarding the situation in Kosovo, adding that he primarily insists on Kosovo standards, rather than status.

In his report, he underscored a very bad situation in the province concerning the rule of law, adding that there are problems of minority communities and corruption, including the one in institutions.

During the summer session, PACE will also discuss the tension in the Middle East, the report on the H1N1 flu pandemic, Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia in Europe, as well as the legal regulations for the prevention of human rights violations in northern Caucasus.

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