Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio Edita Tahiri told the news site on Thursday that the issue of the Trepca mining complex would under no circumstance be discussed in the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue. According to Tahiri, the red lines set in the dialogue with Belgrade do not allow for such topics to be addressed. She also said that the Constitution of Kosovo does not allow opening topics that are related to Kosovo’s wealth and territorial integrity.

The government of Serbia wants dialogue with Kosovo on the Trepca issue. What is the position of the government of Kosovo?

Hundreds of miners in Kosovo ended a three-day strike on Thursday in the country's richest mine, which is also claimed by Serbia.

Kosovo's new government said last week it would take control of the Trepca mining complex but backtracked on Monday following a furious response from Serbia.

On Tuesday, some 350 Trepca miners refused to return from their shift below ground to protest the government reversal. The number later reached around 800 miners.

Serbia has the greatest interest to impose the issue of protection of its property in Kosovo on the agenda of the upcoming talks with Pristina.

Said Rasim Ljajic to Vecernje Novosti, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Telecommunications and Tourism:

- Pristina will try in every way to avoid this issue, and the part of the international community. But Belgrade has invested heavily in building infrastructure and businesses in Kosovo. We have no right to raise our hands of it.

BELGRADE – Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Thursday that the agenda of a new round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina had not yet been drawn up and that Serbia expected the implementation of the Brussels agreement to continue from where it was left off.

Miners demand Kosovo Assembly nationalizes near-bankrupt mining company within 24 hours.
Hundreds of miners in northern Kosovo have refused to resurface, demanding that the Kosovo government takes over their near-bankrupt mine in Mitrovica within 24 hours. About 700 miners were still 750 meters underground on Wednesday after refusing to return to the surface at the end of their shift the day before, saying they wanted the Kosovo Assembly to take over the company Trepca, which owns the zinc and silver mines, as soon as possible.

BELGRADE -- Marko Djuric has rejected as false the claims that the government is considering "accepting the loss of Trepca in exchange for compensation."

The Belgrade-based daily Danas wrote, quoting anonymous sources and running the piece under the headline, "Serbia expects compensation for Trepca," that the dispute over the mining complex "will most likely be solved through compensation - money, or some other way."

Belgrade expects the issues of Kosovo and other property on 9 February before the negotiators in Brussels. "Trepca" not the topic, Pristina says.

Government of Serbia would gladly see "Trepca" on the negotiating table in Brussels on February 9, when the prime ministers would meet for the first time, Aleksandar Vucic and Isa Mustafa.

Prime Minister Vucic said that Serbia managed to fight for the correct interpretation of the international community over "Trepca" and that Pristina wants to finish everything on the property issue before opening of the topic in Brussels.

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa writes on his Facebook account today that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is trying to shift Serbia's economic crisis over to Kosovo. “He [Vucic] can say that all socially-owned properties are his in an effort to deceive Serbian citizens, but we know that these properties are ours and no one should be worried about this.

“The Government of Kosovo has not changed the decision on the ownership of Trepca. Trepca is one hundred per cent owned by Kosovo, but the question which is under consideration relates to the model of the management of this property and future private investments. Currently, Trepca is managed through the Kosovo Privatization Agency, in a process that has been declared legal, during UNMIK's mandate,” told Petrit Selimi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo.