Petkovic: Other side does not want to reach solution, new dialogue round on April 4

Photo montage: Shutterstock, Tanjug/Jadranka Ilic

The director of the office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said on Monday that Pristina does not have the political will to reach a solution regarding the use of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo and Metohija, and that a new round of dialogue at the technical level will be held on April 4.

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After a trilateral and bilateral meetings as part of the dialogue in Brussels, he told reporters that both sides presented their proposed solutions, where Belgrade's was balanced and took into account Serb interests, while Pristina presented a proposal they put no effort in that would qualify it as a solution.

"This is what worries me in the extreme, I don't know which direction the dialogue will go. I am concerned about the position and future of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija, especially when you see that there is no political will to reach a solution on the other side. We will continue to negotiate, we will invest the last atom of our strength just to reach a solution. We will do everything in our power to preserve peace and our people in Kosovo, whose human rights are being violated and who are prevented from receiving their salaries, pensions and welfare because of (prime minister of Pristina's provisional institutions Albin) Kurti," Petkovic said.

He added that in the direct negotiations, which lasted more than three and a half hours, they discussed the proposals, then there were talks at the level of bilateral meetings with the EU, and he added that it was agreed that the talks would continue on April 4.

"If you want to reach a solution, make an effort. It all looks to me as if the other side does not want to do it. Kurti will continue to persecute the Serb people. As for the EU, that's a separate story and it is clear that either the EU has none or does not want to arrive at a solution, there is no third option," he said.

Petkovic stressed that Belgrade is committed to dialogue and will do everything to reach a solution.

"To try to enable continued operations of the Postanska Stedionica Bank so that our people can receive salaries and pensions and social benefits, and that is the essence of our proposal. I think we have acted responsibly and fairly by seeking a solution, a compromise, because for us compromise is not a beautiful or an ugly word. And on the other hand, you have an interlocutor who wants to impose solutions along with its mentors, we'll see if that can go like that," said Petkovic.

He added that it remains to be see if the next round of the dialogue will be the last, when it comes to the issue of the dinar and Kurti's decision to ban dinar payment transactions in the area of Kosovo and Metohija.

Bislimi: Proposals too far apart, another meeting needed

Pristina's chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi,said after a new round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels that the two sides' proposals on the issue of the dinar are still too far apart and that there is a need for another meeting next week.

"Today we presented our proposals. My opinion is that these proposals are still too far apart. We tried to bring them closer, but obviously there is a need for another meeting," Bislimi told reporters after the meeting.

He did not want to give details regarding the proposal, saying that it would harm the process of talks at this time.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)