Serbian opposition blasts government Kosovo measures

He said that the measures constituted the resumption of the Serbian government's surrender to the Kosovo authorities.

Samardzic told a news conference that the government had introduced provisional administrations in those municipalities last Thursday, which was a "legally dubious move," as provisional measures were normally only introduced when a municipal assembly failed to convene for a period of three months, or if a municipality failed to adopt its budget and statute, neither of which had been the case in Pec or Pristina.

According to the former Kosovo minister, the municipalities in question were precisely those that were implementing the Serbian government's policy.

"Now temporary organs loyal to Belgrade are being introduced in those municipalities to show that Serbia is letting go of its local sef-governments in Kosovo. In so doing, tacit cooperation with the authorities in Pristina will continue," he claimed.

The government introduced temporary measures in the two municipalities following accusations of abuse of office against members of the local leadership.

Samardzic stressed that this would lead to a political division of the population, stating that "some people are being pushed into the Kosovo institutions, while others are being driven away from Kosovo."

The DSS official also said that preparations for new elections were under way in Kosovo, adding that the aim of the Kosovo authorities was to include Serbs, which was only possible if local self-governments elected legally in the elections on May 11, 2008, were dissolved.

Pec Municipal Assembly Speaker Radojko Dunjic said that the DSS-New Serbia coalition had won the local elections fair and square, adding that "the Serbian government is now appointing people in those municipalities who cooperate with the Kosovo institutions."