Brnabic: Manoeuvring space in CoE small but truth and justice on our side

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday Serbia's manoeuvring space regarding a proposal to admit the so-called Kosovo to the Council of Europe (CoE) was very small, but noted that "the truth and justice are on our side."

"Winning this fight will be difficult, but the truth and justice are on our side. It is completely clear that establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, stopping illegal (land) expropriation in the north of Kosovo-Metohija and returning land to the Visoki Decani monastery were the three preconditions (for Pristina's potential CoE admission). I would like to thank those who said this erodes the credibility of the CoE and that after this, if this is pushed through, the CoE will not even mean anything," Brnabic told reporters when asked about an amendment submitted by Hungary and Italy to make forming the Community a precondition for CoE membership.

Pristina has been refusing to establish the community for 11 years now.

Brnabic also noted the CoE was a protector of human rights and rule of law.

"What human rights are there for Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija? They do not even have the right to vote, or the right to receive pensions in dinars, they have no right to legal assistance when they are detained illegally by someone. They have no right to fair trial, and no right to their children having a future. None of that exists in Kosovo-Metohija, which is now being administered by interim institutions," Brnabic added.