Kosovo Minister for Communities and Return Dalibor Jevtić met today with the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of Montenegro Boris Marić and informed him about the activities carried out by the Ministry when it comes to the return of displaced persons from Montenegro to Kosovo. He stressed the importance of the practical solving of the problems related to the return from Montenegro to Kosovo.
Director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Đurić received today senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Australia Kevin Magee, with whom he discussed the Serb-Australian relations, stressing the important role of the Serbian diaspora in the relations between the two countries. Đurić introduced Magee with the progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the problems of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.
“Through legislative changes and without change of the name of the Kosovo security forces, Kosovo could expand the mandate of that formation, and thus become an armed force. In that way they would be able to participate in NATO missions and submit a request for membership in the ‘Partnership for Peace’,” said the former chairman of the Serbian Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun.
Chairman of the Interim Authority of North Mitrovica, Aleksandar Spiric, said that 12 apartments for the socially vulnerable families will be handed over soon. He said that municipality is fighting against domestic violence adding that progress in that area is visible. "Bearing in mind the number of reported cases of domestic violence, and the fact that safe houses exist only in the southern part of Mitrovica, we decided to open one in the northern part of the city. The Center for Social Work will deal with this issue," said Spiric.
A house for returnees, which was under construction in the village of Tomance, Kosovo's Istok/Istog municipality, was set on fire last night, reports the Kosovo Ministry for Returns and Communities.
The house is being built for a Serb returnee and his family as part of an EU-funded project of the ministry.
The mayor of North Mitrovica, Goran Rakić, condemned the attack on a crew of TV Most in Obilić/Obiliq and demanded that perpetrators are found and punished. Only a few days after the celebration of World Press Freedom Day, the journalists of Serbian nationality were attacked in Obilić/Obiliq while doing their job, said Raki. “We strongly condemn this attack and call on the authorities to react. We also expect that OSCE and other international organizations will react.
A crew from TV Most, a broadcaster based in Zvečan/Zveçan, northern Kosovo, was attacked on Tuesday as they were reporting from the town of Obilić/Obiliq, near Pristina.
The broadcaster said that "a younger" ethnic Albanian man first attacked verbally journalist Jasmina Stojković, cameraman Boban Sekulić, and driver Aleksandar Sotlić, and then physically.
Belgrade is not interested in the decisions of the constitutional court in Pristina, or it oblige us, nor we are interested, told RTS the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric. He points out that message of Serbia to all European officials is clear and that it does not accept unilateral changing of the agreement reached.
In regards to the EU recommendation on the abolishment of visas for Kosovo, Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic stressed that this decision did not define how holders of Serbian passports would travel, those with passports issued by the Serbian Interior Ministry’s Coordination Service. "It is important to get an answer to that question. I don’t see any reason for the exemption of Serbian passports from visa liberalization regime, since the geographical location is the same," said Stojanovic.
Director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo Marko Djuric said that Pristina was not working to reach an agreement on the transport of dangerous substances during negotiations in Vienna. He said that Belgrade does not create obstacles and barriers to the normal flow of trade and that the issue of the ban of trucks from Serbia, carrying dangerous substances, should be resolved through dialogue. “In my opinion all this is unnecessary and destructive,” said Djuric to the reporters in Belgrade.