The return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kosovo-Metohija has been overshadowed by political events in the recent period, and the rate of returns is unsatisfactory, the head of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric has said.

At Monday's meeting with Peter Due, a representative of the UN Secretary-General and the head of the UN Office in Belgrade, Djuric said that the return of IDPs should be approached in a new way.

According to a statement from the Office for Kosovo-Metohija, Due said that the approach to issues related to IDPs should also involve UNMIK and the UNHCR.

The UN is available for further cooperation on issues related to IDPs and their return, Due said.

Figures released by the Serbian Commissariat for Refugees and Migration in June say that Serbia currently has a population of 204,042 IDPs.

According to figures released by the UNHCR on June 13, there are more than 17,000 IDPs within Kosovo-Metohija.