Chair of Srpska Lista Goran Rakic invited Mitrovica South mayor Agim Bahtiri to jointly send an initiative to the parliament in order “to make a decision on annulling declaration of independence and integration of Kosovo and Metohija into Serbia,” Danas daily reported.

This way, Rakic reacted to the fact that mayor Bahtiri yesterday submitted to the Kosovo President Hashim Thaci initiative signed by 15.000 persons for “unification of Mitrovica.”

“The latest provocation of Mitrovica South mayor Agim Bahtiri, who during the visit to the Leposavic municipality, more precisely to the village of Saljska Bistrica announced the annexation of these villages from north of Kosovo and Metohija, is causing concerns among the citizens, and I on behalf of the Serbian List and the Serbian people, condemn this in the most strongest terms,” Zoran Todic, mayor of Leposavic municipality said in a written statement, TV Most reported.

Civic Initiative Freedom, Democracy, Justice (GI SDP) condemned yesterday as irresponsible and dangerous the statement of Mitrovica South mayor Agim Bahtiri “there would be war” if Mitrovica is “touched upon,” Danas daily reports.

“Northern part of Mitrovica, populated by majority Serb population has its own elected municipal assembly that should have a say and make decisions advocating for the interests of Serbian and Albanian citizens living in the northern Mitrovica, and it should be respected by everybody,” GI SDP said in a written statement.

Chairperson of the Serbian Government Commission for Missing Persons, Veljko Odalovic said today the message of Mitrovica South mayor Agim Bahtira “that a war would occur” if Mitrovica is “touched upon” in an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, is yet another provocative statement whose aim is to cause disturbance among the Serbian population.

“This provocation is unserious and unattainable,” Odalovic told journalists following a presentation of a book “War Crimes against Serbs in Croatia 1991-1995” and “War Crimes against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija 1998-2004.”

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told TV Pink in Davos, on the occasion of the request of Albanian councillors to unite the northern and southern parts of Mitrovica and the support given by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, that this will not happen.

Vucic told Belgrade based TV Pink that he does not understand "neither what Thaci does, nor Ramush Haradinaj."

Srpska Lista (SL) said Agim Bahtiri should know that the Serbian people in the north of Kosovo and Metohija are not afraid by his political performances, while his petition on “unification” of Mitrovica he can use “for hygienic purposes only,” Serbian public broadcaster RTS reports.

SL added that Bahtiri “instead of presenting “mad ideas” and increasing inter-ethnic distance should rather deal with usurped Serb apartments and demolished Serb cemeteries in areas under his administrative authority.”

Following the resignation of North Mitrovica Mayor Goran Rakic, South Mitrovica Mayor Agim Bahtiri has sent a request to the Kosovo government. According to the northern-Kosovo based KoSSev website, Bahtiri is proposing that he should govern a "united (Kosovska Mitrovica)."

"I demand that the Kosovo government take all the necessary legal actions to immediately abolish the decision to divide Mitrovica into two municipalities, “ Bahtiri wrote on his Facebook profile.

The opening of the bridge on the Ibar is not on the agenda because the reconstruction is in progress, and the assessment is that along to the technical, and the security conditions were not met, says mayor of North Mitrovica Goran Rakic to Belgrade based agency Tanjug.

Mayor of Mitrovica, Agim Bahtiri, told RTV Dukagjini that everything is clear with regards to the administrative boundary between the Mitrovica and Mitrovica North municipalities and that there will be no dialogue on this issue. Speaking about the revitalization of the main Mitrovica bridge connecting the south and the north, Bahtiri said the only sticky issue involves the manner the bridge will be declared open. He said the EU wants to have an opening ceremony, a move which the Mayor of Mitrovica North, Goran Rakic, is against.

Minister of Economic Development, Valdrin Lluka, said in a meeting with Mitrovica Mayor, Agim Bahtiri, that his goal is to turn the Trepca mining complex into Kosovo’s engine of economic development and employment. “We will get down to work right away and will establish a board for the [Trepca] enterprise to pave way for sustainable development,” Lluka said. The meeting was held at Mayor Bahtiri’s request who expressed his concerns over the state of public enterprises in the Mitrovica region.