Goran Bogdanovic, Minister for Kosovo and Metohija, talks to the DANAS daily about the dialogue with Pristina and the north of Kosovo * Presence of the Kosovo Serbs in the team for implementation of the Brussels agreements of great importance * Anyone thinking that the Government is bypassing the Constitution, may appeal to the court of law * Tadic's authority of great importance for resolving the gravest state problems.
Belgrade - The agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on the administrative crossings does not give carte blanche to either Pristina or KFOR to remove Serbian barricades in the north of Kosovo and Metohija.
- This is a completely false argument and perception. This agreement regulates functioning of the administrative crossings in a completely new way, rather than being aimed at resolving the issue of the barricades erected in protest over the unilateral actions on the part of Pristina seeking to take full control of the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings. The Serbian president called on both the Serbs to remove the barricades and the KFOR to exercise restraint and not try to forcibly remove them. Reaching the agreements cleared the reasons for the their existence. Serbs have set them up and now it's time to remove them - Goran Bogdanovic, Minister for Kosovo and Metohija in the Serbian Government told the Danas.
What will the Government do if the Serbs should refuse to remove the roadblocks and implement the Brussels agreements?
- Belgrade has no intention of going against its own people, but has just as well made clear its position and sent a message about what needs to be done. By removing the barricades at Jagnjenica and Jarinje, political representatives of the Kosovo Serbs have demonstrated that they are responsible people, willing to heed and implement the advice and recommendations of the state leadership. It’s necessary to remove all the remaining roadblocks without any further delay. Also, KFOR needs to start discussions with the political representatives of the Serbs, it needs to comply with its status neutral mandate and collaborate with the Serbian population in order to regain the trust of the citizens in the north and reassure them that not a single move would be made to affect their vital interests.
Quoting international officials in Kosovo, Serbs in the north are openly accusing the Government in Belgrade of having undertaken with the KFOR the action in Dudin Krs and Jagnjenica?
I responsibly claim that this is not true, and that everything else is dabbling in conspiracy theories. Serbs from the north are neither openly nor covertly accusing the authorities of striking an agreement with the KFOR's military mission to forcibly remove the barricades at Jagnjenica and Dudin Krs. It’s true that it was the KFOR spokesman that uttered this complete falsehood, seeking to cause a rift between the Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade. And are there really people who believe that the state leadership would risk the lives of our compatriots in Kosovo and Metohija?
How realistic is it in the current situation that the Kosovo Serbs would take part in the team for implementation of the agreed, as announced by Borislav Stefanovic?
Presence of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija would be of great importance, but it is also a matter of their own free will. I personally believe that it is vital for Kosovo Serbs to have their representatives in the team implementing the agreements. This would facilitate a more effective implementation and hinder any attempts of abuse.
If you’ve managed to fully remove the reasons for which the Serbs had set up barricades in the first place – fighting to survive within the state of Serbia, which you supported this summer – why doesn’t the Government propose to amend the Parliament Declaration of 30 July, in order to establish the state policy?
As I’ve said, barricades have fulfilled their purpose and achieved their goal. Now when possibility of a crisis in the north and an escalation of uncontrolled violence have been averted, both of which would otherwise have rendered the Kosovo Serbs as losers, the barricades have become counterproductive. I welcome the beginning of removal of the barricades, but this process must be completed without any delay. Immediate causes for the outbreak of the crisis in the north have been eliminated but, honestly speaking, a lot of work and a long diplomatic battle to protect our national and state interests are still ahead of us. As for the new declaration, we did not want it to be passed with 126 deputies. Our intention is to get the widest possible political support, not just a simple majority in the Parliament.
You live in Kosovo and Metohija, you are a Minister in the Government which, under the Constitution of Serbia, must report to the Parliament, and you are also a DS (Democratic Party) official. How do you comment on the fact that the internal and foreign policy of the Republic of Serbia are managed by the President and not the Government, allowing the ruling majority to violate the Constitution facilitating a presidential rather than a parliamentary system, now also reflected in the rejection of the parliamentary debate on Kosovo and Metohija?
- I disagree with your observation, which only assumed the form of a question. Serbia is a democratic country and anyone thinking that someone is bypassing the Constitution, may check their suspicions before the Constitutional Court. Both the Government and the President are doing their job, abiding by their respective constitutional jurisdiction. Quite logically, this cooperation is excellent, and the authority and prestige of the President Tadic are undisputed, which is of great importance for resolving the gravest national problems. Thus, this isn’t about violating the Constitution, it’s about the synchronized cooperation between the most senior state bodies.
In the north, only one party - the people
The ruling coalition claims that the barricades are upheld by the opposition through their representatives in the local government. Whether and to what extent does the DS have influence in Leposavic, where the Democrats are in power?
- No one is accusing anyone. Never mind the stories how it was the Government that organized the barricades - those were created by the people. There is only one party in the north of Kosovo and Metohija - the people, and it unanimously decided to defend themselves against the unilateral moves of Pristina, by means of the barricades. I’ve already said that those have fulfilled their purpose, because now we have negotiations and the agreements reached. It’s a wholly different thing that there certain parties abusing the situation for their daily political purposes, having already launched the elections campaign.
The "disobedient" would not be punished
Will the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija introduce provisional measures in the four Serbian municipalities in the north because of the "disobedience" of the local authorities?
- I don’t regard provisional measures as a political tool, but as a legal instrument relying on clear legal procedures. The state of Serbia cannot preserve sovereignty and integrity without the Serbs, and the Serbs cannot survive in Kosovo and Metohija without the state of Serbia. Everyone must bear this in mind.