Hashim Thaci on Monday called elections for mayors of four Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo and Metohija.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci announced extraordinary mayoral elections in northern Kosovo on 19 May. Deputy Leader of Civic Initiative Freedom, Democracy, Justice (GI SDP) Ksenija Bozovic thinks that conditions for holding elections do not exist, while RTV Mir Director Nenad Radosavljevic said elections are yet another game that may cause instability, Radio KIM reports. “A decision to call elections at this moment is slightly strange, but we will monitor the situation. People are doubtful if it is about agreements again, but we must wait to see how the situation would further evolve.

German expert for Balkans Wolfgang Ischinger, creator of a plan to resolve the Kosovo issue based on model of two Germany, told the Belgrade-based daily Politika that solution to the Kosovo issue is not nearby. He added he would be the first one to welcome if there would be a plan widely supported in the Serbian society and the Parliament as well as that the plan is also equally accepted in Kosovo.

Political representatives of Belgrade and Pristina exchanged again mutual accusations related to the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, Radio kontakt plus reports. Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Marko Djuric accused Kosovo leaders for the murder of Ivanovic.

Kosovo police has reacted to the information that Pristina authorities launched “Steel Ring” action, Tanjug news agency reported.

Member of opposition Alliance for Serbia (SzS) Dveri Movement MPs Bosko Obradovic and Marija Janusevic raised the banners saying, “No Division, No Surrender”, “You Betrayed Kosovo” and “Kosovo is Serbia” at the beginning of a meeting of the Serbian National Assembly Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, BETA news agency reported. The banners also included “One in Five Million” slogan used by the civic protests across Serbia. Obradovic and Janusevic raised the banners when Deputy Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Dusan Kozarev started to address the Committee’s members.

The Alliance for Serbia (SzS) stated yesterday that President Aleksandar Vucic with his statement to Italian news agency ANSA, saying “Serbia cannot recognize Kosovo, and get nothing in return,” confirmed he is just a step away from “a private arrangement” to permanently delineate Serbia with Kosovo, Danas daily reports. The Alliance noted Vucic with this statement tried to send a message to internationals that he is ready to recognize Kosovo and Metohija as an independent state, while on the other side, he tries to portray himself to the Serbian public as someone fighting for Kosovo. The Al

Srpska Lista has reacted following Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci’s statement that “those who helped Milosevic and are friends with Radoicic – whom I expelled from Kosovo“ are talking about the partition.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the statements of Pristina authorities that Kosovo would get three central Serbia municipalities have no links with reality and common sense, RTS reports. She told them to try to get back to reality and understand what the rules of behavior in XXI century are. “We should aim for dialogue and cooperation, not to build the barriers,” Brnabic told journalists after being asked to comment on the statement of Hashim Thaci, that in case of delineation Pristina would get three municipalities in central Serbia, Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.

The weeks ahead are crucial for Pristina’s decision on the tariffs, Centre for Foreign Policy Director Dragan Djukanovic told RTS. He added Belgrade at this moment should fortify its position and outline what it expects to be a measure of a compromise. Djukanovic also expects that in the coming months there would be a significant intensification of Belgrade-Pristina normalization of relations process.