Petkovic, Jenca discuss Pristina's escalatory moves

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenca in Belgrade on Thursday to inform him of Pristina's numerous escalatory moves and the impossible living conditions for Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

Petkovic especially underscored the latest in a series of unilateral moves by Pristina - plans to build two new bridges on the Ibar River, which he noted was directly aimed against the interests of the Serb majority in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, as clearly declared by the Serbs themselves in a petition against the infrastructure works.

"Pristina's move came immediately after the persecution of 11 Kosovo-Metohija Serbs employed in police administrations in central Serbia, which clearly shows that (Albin) Kurti is generating one crisis after another with the aim of destabilising the situation on the ground and expelling the Serbs to ultimately change the ethnic composition in Kosovo-Metohija," Petkovic warned, noting that 667 ethnically motivated incidents had been registered in Kosovo-Metohija since Kurti's rise to power.

Serbs living both south and north of Ibar face institutional and physical terror by Pristina, arbitrary arrests, staged political trials and closures of vital institutions, all of which has resulted in threats to the existence of the Serbs and in their full disenfranchisement, an official statement quoted Petkovic as saying.

"Belgrade remains strongly committed to dialogue with Pristina as the only sustainable path towards normalisation of relations in the territory of Kosovo-Metohija and building peace and stability on the ground. In light of this, it is necessary that Pristina delivers on its part of the commitments from the dialogue and establish a Community of Serb Municipalities, for which the Serbs have been waiting for a full 12 years," Petkovic noted.

He thanked Jenca for the constructive cooperation, especially with the UN Office in Belgrade, and highlighted the role of the UN and respect for UNSCR1244 in terms of safeguarding peace and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, as well as the significance of the UNMIK mission, which he said enjoyed great trust among the Serbs, who expected it to engage more strongly towards protecting their jeopardised rights and existence.