Petkovic: Situation difficult, Bislimi's behaviour was scandalous

BRUSSELS - Speaking to reporters after Monday's round of the Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said the dialogue was in a difficult state and that Pristina's chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi had acted in a scandalous way.

Following a trilateral meeting with Bislimi and EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak, Petkovic said Belgrade's delegation had prepared for the meeting, coming with experts, proposals and all materials, "unlike Bislimi, who came on his own."

"When he was supposed to discuss major issues, such as establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, the issue of missing persons, freedom of movement, issues that have to do with everyday life, institutional violence by (Pristina's PM Albin) Kurti, he did not want to provide concrete answers to that and he tried to make the discussion pointless with various interruptions," Petkovic said.

He said the meeting had also addressed the issue of energy but that Bislimi's response to everything had been that "Petkovic is talking rubbish."

Petkovic said Bislimi had taken a recently denied written request by an RTS journalist to enter Kosovo-Metohija and thrown it down on the floor.

Petkovic said Bislimi and Kurti were acting in the same way.

"They hang on to small things to postpone a resolution of the issue of missing persons. When I reiterated to Bislimi our request for a resolution of the issues of freedom of movement and licence plates, he refused to discuss that. We do not know how to hold further discussions - we want normalisation, above all, for the sake of Serbs. It is important that we protect the lives of our people," Petkovic said.

He said the Community of Serb Municipalities had been highlighted by Belgrade as the key topic.

He said a common methodology must be developed to prepare a statute of the Community as it was an urgent issue, especially for peace in Kosovo-Metohija.

He also said a declaration on missing persons must be implemented and that an exchange of information and concrete tasks on the ground must begin.

"We raise all urgent issues and we speak about the situation on the ground," Petkovic said.

Petkovic said Belgrade would observe red lines set by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"We have our red lines and we adhere to them - they are that we will never consent to Kosovo becoming a UN member state and that, de iure or de facto, we will not recognise Kosovo as independent," he said.