BELGRADE- The Serbian government and the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs have met their obligations from the Brussels Agreement and expect a more active approach of the international community in its implementation and normalisation of life in Kosovo-Metohija, Serbia’s Minister without portfolio for Kosovo-Metohija Aleksandar Vulin said on Thursday.
Commenting on the first anniversary of the signing of the Brussels Agreement, Vulin told Tanjug that he expects that “no one will use against us our readiness for compromise for the sake of the life of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, that the international community is appreciative of it, and that it will become actively involved in solving all problems in Kosovo-Metohija.”
Establishing an international court for crimes committed against Serbs and non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija would be “a good way for the international community to become involved in solving this problem”, he said.
It is regrettable that we have had to wait for all these years, but the announced establishment of the court is a good signal that the international community is beginning to restore the trust of the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs, Vulin said.
Speaking about the implementation of the Brussels Agreement over the past year, Vulin said that “almost 100 percent of the obligations” undertaken by Belgrade and the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs have been fulfilled.
We have fulfilled everything that we have signed or agreed upon – the elections have been held and the mayors have been elected, Vulin said.
Members of the Serbian police force have been integrated into the Kosovo Police Service, while an agreement is almost in place on the integration of Serbian judicial officials, which will start soon, Vulin said.
Vulin said that the community of the Serb municipalities has not yet been established due to Pristina’s failure to pass laws that should accompany its formation.
“Without the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs, the Brussels Agreement would not exist, and everything that we have done, we have done with the consent, enormous help and great courage of the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs,” he said.
Establishing the community of Serb municipalities will be the next step in the implementation of the Brussels Agreement after the upcoming Kosovo elections, Vulin said.
The Belgrade-Pristina agreement was signed by Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Kosovo Premier Hasim Taci on April 19, 2013 in Brussels, with mediation from the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton.
