First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic met on Thursday in New York with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The meeting took place on the eve of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council dedicated to Guterres' regular report on the work of UNMIK, the UN Mission in Kosovo, the Serbian Government said.
Another discussion on the UN Secretary-General's quarterly report on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija has been held at the United Nations Security Council. During the debate, held in spite of the previous opposition by a number of members of the UN Security Council, Pristina institutions were unanimously called on to abolish taxes increased by 100 percent last November on goods coming from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said late on Thursday, Feb. 7 Central European Time, that an unreasonable measure of Pristina to introduce tariffs on Serbian products is aimed at complicating the position of the Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija.
President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday that without talks, there is no solution to the Kosovo issue. He stressed that Serbia is strong enough to continue building a better future even without reaching an agreement on this problem.
KFOR Commander Major General Lorenzo D’Addario in an interview to Radio kontakt plus said he is worried over rhetoric used in Kosovo, warning that one sentence could be a sparkle to create bigger problems.
He termed the situation in Kosovo as peaceful, adding he sees not a single intention to cause incidents.
Outgoing Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns, Dalibor Jevtic told Voice of America, he does not know what an idea on delineation encompasses, and that he is not personally familiar with that idea. However, Jevtic added that any agreement leading towards a lasting peace should be supported.
Kosovo analyst Ramush Tahiri said UNMIK in Kosovo has completed most part of its mission, both in the terms of time and functions, however, no state can prohibit work and engagement of this mission, FoNet news agency reports.
“The statement is as it is, but to tell the communication with UNMIK is cut, it is unattainable. UNMIK writes reports to the United Nations every third month or every month, and these are credible reports that are being discussed about,” Tahiri added.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he does not recognize borders of independent Kosovo and that Serbs need peace with Albanians, Tanjug news agency reports. Vucic added he does not believe a compromise is possible in near time, however it is needed to insist on that.
He made these remarks in Vranje town, visiting it as a part of his campaign “Future of Serbia” that was launched yesterday.
Montenegro had reservations towards the principle of resolving the Kosovo issue by exchanging territories, Montenegro Foreign Affairs Minister Srdjan Darmanovic said, however, adding that “if the two sides agree” Podgorica would welcome that, Tanjug news agency reports.
Darmanovic made these remarks in an interview to Voice of America, responding on how he sees the resolution of the Kosovo issue, and whether it is possible in the near future.
Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will represent Serbia at Thursday's session of the United Nations Security Council, the Serbian Government has announced. The session will discuss the report of the Secretary General on the work of UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.