“The Trepca mining complex is an inseparable part of Kosovo and it belongs to all the citizens of the country and not to a single community or municipality,” Slobodan M. Vujicic, chairman of the Association and the Union of Montenegrins in Kosovo, wrote in a letter sent to the news website. “Attempts to present Trepca an exclusive property of Serbs is just another manipulation by Belgrade and its servants in Kosovo, such as the Serbian List. With their actions and rhetoric, they are humiliating and deceiving their people.

Kosovo Assembly President Kadri Veseli commented today on the decision of the Serbian List to suspend participation in the Kosovo Assembly and the Government to protest against the approval of a law on Trepca mining complex. Veseli said that the boycott represents no threats to the ruling coalition but advised against such practice as “it does not contribute to the work of the Assembly”.  At the same time, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group chief, Ismet Beqiri, said the Serbian List needs to learn not to blackmail Kosovo.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun says that Brussels will sooner or later have to respond to the decision of the Kosovo Assembly to appropriate the Mining and Metallurgy Plant Trepca, because the Serbian government has sent an official letter to the European Community about it.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanović says that it will be decided, after the consultation with representatives of the international community, whether the representatives of the Serbian List will stay in Kosovo's institutions.

"If there is no real solution, we will see whether we will participate in all that reflects only the interests of the Albanians, but not our interests. Otherwise, we'll leave the Government and Parliament," said Stojanović to RTS.

If Serbia gives “Telekom Srbija” to Kosovo, it will be the prelude to give them other Serbia’s property in Kosovo and Metohija, which is the biggest fear of the authorities in Serbia, writes Serbian daily “Kurir” citing a source in the government. According to the latest estimates, it is a sum of more than 2 billion euros.

The amount includes the value of EPS in Kosovo – 1.2 billion euros, then mining 577.5 million euros, then Telekom, which is estimated to about 31.5 million euros, etc.

Vetevendosje leader, Visa Ymeri, took to Facebook to comment on the recent decision of the Kosovo government to submit to the Assembly draft law on the Trepca mining complex. According to Ymeri, the bill has a series of flaws and if not amended, it will fail to save Trepca. He said the government of Kosovo plans to privatise the mine. “All investing modalities in Trepca foreseen in the law are privatising modalities”, wrote Ymeri. He added that Kosovo needs a law on Trepca but it should be aimed at transforming it into a public enterprise with a special status.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister from the Serbian List, Branimir Stojanovic, warned that the Serb MPs could decide to boycott the work of the Kosovo Assembly. In an urgent meeting of the northern Kosovo’s predominantly Serb municipalities, Stojanovic said the draft law on revitalisation of the Trepca mine is unacceptable and political.

An urgent meeting has been called with representatives of the four Serb northern municipalities as the Kosovo Assembly is expected to vote on the draft law for the Trepca mining complex today. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:00 hours in Zvecan municipality and the only topic of discussion is the political and security situation in light of the Trepca draft law. Serb workers of the mining complex blocked the Raska-Pristina road for two days in a row.

The Kosovo Assembly’s Committee for Economic Development adopted today in the first reading the draft law on the Trepca mining complex, which will be discussed at the plenary assembly session on Friday. Serbian List representative, Sasa Milosavljevic, said Serb MPs would not vote in favour of the draft law in its current content. He also criticised the government for not inviting Serb representatives to attend discussions on the draft law.

Petrit Gashi, chairman of the board of the Privatisation Agency of Kosovo, told Radio Free Europe that “Serbia has no shares in any property in Kosovo” and that “Belgrade knows well that Trepca is Kosovo’s property”.

The status of the Trepca mining complex has been a topic of discussion for quite some time in Kosovo. In your opinion, what is the best solution for the mining complex in Mitrovica?