Initiative for Community/Association of Serbian municipalities raised to a higher level (KiM radio, TV Most, Vecernje Novosti, Blic)
Gracanica Mayor, Vladeta Kostic said that the recent first joint meeting of municipalities with Serbian majority practically raised the issue of establishing the Association/Community of Serbian municipalities (ZSO) and that the initiative is now raised to a higher political level.
Kostic said that in formal legal terms, the process of creating the ZSO has not started yet, because the legal requirements are not met, nor the statute of the Community was adopted.
Kostic, who is also president of the Civic Initiative "Srpska", said that one of the demands from the meeting in Gracanica was to provide all versions of statute for consideration and open discussion, because Serbs should declare about it.
"In my personal opinion, although many will disagree, it is inevitable to create legal presumptions, and only then adopt statute which is the bylaw. If we want to be fully protected, we must be protected by the laws of both, Serbia and Kosovo, as the Community is concern of Serbs who live here," said the mayor of Gracanica.
Kostic, in the TV Show "Slobodno Srpski", said that he does not know what are the Belgrade's "red lines" when it comes to the adoption of the statute of the ZSO, but that the Serbs have their red lines.
"In my opinion and my associates, ZSO must have executive powers in the four areas agreed by the Treaty of Brussels, which are pillars of survival of Serbs in Kosovo. If someone touches education or health, we may not have again 17 March but we will have a silent exodus of Serbs south of the Ibar River, and later it will have long-term consequences not only for Kosovo but and the international community," warned Kostic.