Dacic urges Kosovo Serbs to return to talks
Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic on Tuesday urged Serbs from northern Kosovo to get back to negotiations and told them they needed to share their government's policies.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Tuesday, December 04, 2012
"The government will not allow violence. We will do everything to protect the interests of Serbs in Kosovo and the interests of entire Serbia," Dacic told reporters after a meeting of the emergency situations headquarters.
Dacic said no one should be under the illusion that Serbia had anything to lose in Kosovo - the question was what it could win back.
"When will we realize that something has been taken from us and now are salvaging whatever can be salvaged. We will not recognize that which has been taken from us, but we must live in reality," said the prime minister.
Dacic said his meeting with Kosovo's Prime Minister Hasim Taci would be difficult and reiterated that Belgrade and Pristina signed an agreement regulating integrated management of crossings and not borders.
According to Dacic, many battles have been fought throughout history, and once Serbia is strong again no one will be able to humiliate it.
The prime minister said Serbia had lost a lot in wars and it was time to try to solve a problem using peaceful means.
Dacic said it was easy to fight a war and hard to fight for one's rights peacefully.
"I will never sign off on Kosovo as an independent state, but there are some things no one will ask us about. That is the fairness or lack of it on the international scene," said Dacic.
He added there was no room for futile sacrifices.
"Serbia takes care of the Serbs in Kosovo and they need to consider the interests of Serbia as a whole," said Dacic.
He added Kosovo was not an independent country and that it was Taci rather than Serbia who believed there were borders between central Serbia and Kosovo.
"Why would Serbs in the north believe the same thing as Taci? He has to tell his people something," said Dacic.
According to Dacic, Serbia must implement the agreements signed by the previous government and work to improve them.
Dacic called on all scientific and political institutions, the intelligentsia, the church and political parties to work together to keep the people from futile sacrifices and to sacrifice personally for a certain goal.
Dacic repeated the talks in Brussels were status-neutral and that under the agreement on integrated crossings management goods from northern Kosovo would not be subject to customs duties.
Dacic said no one should be under the illusion that Serbia had anything to lose in Kosovo - the question was what it could win back.
"When will we realize that something has been taken from us and now are salvaging whatever can be salvaged. We will not recognize that which has been taken from us, but we must live in reality," said the prime minister.
Dacic said his meeting with Kosovo's Prime Minister Hasim Taci would be difficult and reiterated that Belgrade and Pristina signed an agreement regulating integrated management of crossings and not borders.
According to Dacic, many battles have been fought throughout history, and once Serbia is strong again no one will be able to humiliate it.
The prime minister said Serbia had lost a lot in wars and it was time to try to solve a problem using peaceful means.
Dacic said it was easy to fight a war and hard to fight for one's rights peacefully.
"I will never sign off on Kosovo as an independent state, but there are some things no one will ask us about. That is the fairness or lack of it on the international scene," said Dacic.
He added there was no room for futile sacrifices.
"Serbia takes care of the Serbs in Kosovo and they need to consider the interests of Serbia as a whole," said Dacic.
He added Kosovo was not an independent country and that it was Taci rather than Serbia who believed there were borders between central Serbia and Kosovo.
"Why would Serbs in the north believe the same thing as Taci? He has to tell his people something," said Dacic.
According to Dacic, Serbia must implement the agreements signed by the previous government and work to improve them.
Dacic called on all scientific and political institutions, the intelligentsia, the church and political parties to work together to keep the people from futile sacrifices and to sacrifice personally for a certain goal.
Dacic repeated the talks in Brussels were status-neutral and that under the agreement on integrated crossings management goods from northern Kosovo would not be subject to customs duties.
