Belgrade authorities have announced that Kosovo Serb representatives that participated in 8 June parliamentary elections have agreed on a joint front in political processes in Kosovo. The unity was reached after their meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday. Following the meeting, Marko Djuric, head of the Serbian Government’s office for Kosovo, said the union of Kosovo Serb representatives would strengthen Serb interests and would enjoy continuous support from the government in Belgrade. Djuric said it is very important for Serbs to assume part of the responsibility to lead institutions in Kosovo regardless of which Albanian political party forms the new government. “For us it is very important to be part of the government and we don’t want to tell the Albanian people in Kosovo who will represent or lead them or who will make decisions on their behalf. But we want the Serb people in Kosovo to have a unified participation in Kosovo’s institutions and I think this is the most important result of our meeting,” Djuric added.
But do Serb political representatives have conditions that they will present to Albanian political parties that will form the new government?
Aleksandar Jablanovic, leader of the Serbian List which has merged three Serb political parties, told Radio Free Europe that they would several conditions in exchange for their participation in government. “The Serbian List will condition their support with the immediate creation of the association of Serb majority municipalities as noted in the Brussels agreement. We will call for greater respect for the rights of Serbs and other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo. We will insist on stopping the process of privatization in Serb settlements in Kosovo and the annulment of privatizations done so far. We will also demand greater security for Serbs and non-Albanians in Kosovo as well as sustainable economic development funded by the government of Kosovo,” Jablanovic said.
“Politics involves a process of talks and the best interlocutor that will respect the terms will have the best position in government. We believe that the Serbian List will be a constructive stakeholder in the new government of Kosovo,” Jablanovic said. He also added that the Serbian List will guarantee that Belgrade will fully implement the Brussels agreement.
Slobodan Petrovic, Kosovo’s outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government, who is also leader of the Independent Liberal Party which has joined the Serbian List, told Radio Free Europe that Serb terms for their participation in the government are in the service of the interests of their voters. “I think it is important that we have shown we want to be part of the government. Now we are in the second phase where political combinations are in a way mysterious for all political parties,” Petrovic added.
