KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Participation of Serbs in the Kosovo government alongside those who are openly inciting hatred and a cessation of the talks with Belgrade is unacceptable, says the head of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric.

Participation in the Kosovo government alongside all those who are openly calling for thwarting the establishment of the community of Serb municipalities, those who are inciting hatred and a cessation of the talks with Serbia, its institutions and the Serbian people as a whole, is unacceptable, Djuric said on Friday.

"For that reason, we do not support Serb participation in coalitions that include the Self-Determination movement," Djuric told a press conference in Kosovska Mitrovica, noting that the Srpska list has defined its goals in the future Kosovo government precisely.

By making a positive impact in Kosovo-Metohija, Belgrade wants to prevent any domestic or foreign policy actions that are against Serbia's interests, Djuric said.
"Our other goal is economic improvement for the whole of Kosovo," Djuric said, noting that all economic assets in Kosovo-Metohija have been completely destroyed over the past 15 years and that the economy in the province cannot recover without a comprehensive improvement of relations.

"Nearly half a billion euros' worth of various products from central Serbia are sold in Kosovo-Metohija each year and it is in our economic interest to remove the economic barriers - the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and Serbia as a whole can benefit from that," Djuric said.
"The third key criterion is that we do not want to participate in interim institutions with those who are openly working against our state and national interests," he said.

"We have no illusions about what many political leaders think about us, but we will not cooperate with those who are openly working against the community of Serb municipalities and Serbia, as well as against the talks that they have bound themselves to participate in," Djuric noted.

"We calmly await the outcome of the discussions among the Kosovo Albanian representatives and the Serbs will not be electing their leaders," said Djuric, who believes that it is now clear to everyone that there will be no provincial government in Pristina without an agreement with the Srpska list.

The agreements between the Kosovo Serbs and the Serbian authorities are coordinated, Djuric said, citing a recent meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic as an example.