Vulin: Dacic and Taci to decide

"The expert commissions could conduct the technical dialogue, but they cannot decide. The final decisions will be taken by Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and representative of the interim institutions in Pristina Hasim Taci," Vulin said.

After visiting Darko Vlasaj, a young man that was beaten up by the Kosovo police, at the Military Medical Academy (VMA), Vulin has told reporters in Belgrade that he hopes that, during the talks,  Pristina's side will refrain from improving the standing at the intra-party level.
"I hope that Pristina's side will not take much into account that the elections within Taci's party are scheduled for January 25, and that would not be the reason for using these negotiations for improving the standing, and thus securing more votes in the party congress," Vulin said.

Vulin hopes the EU will understand that, and expects that all participants will rise above Pristina's domestic politics, and take care of the interests of the people in Kosovo-Metohija.

The Kosovo police arrested 10 young men on Orthodox Christmas Day in northern Kosovo for allegedly violating public peace and order and disobeying a police order during Vulin's visit to Kosovo.

The arrested Serbs were released from the detention facility in Pristina on January 8, and two of them received medical treatment in the hospital in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, noting that they had been beaten up by Kosovo policemen, after which Vlasaj was transferred to the VMA.

Director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Aleksandar Vulin visited on Tuesday the young man who was beaten up by the Kosovo police on Christmas and said that the investigation into the case would be closely monitored.

After the visit, Vulin told reporters that Darko Vlasaj is recovering well at the Military Medical Academy (VMA) and that doctors extended assurances that everything would turn out fine.

He noted that he is grateful to VMA doctors and that Vlasaj and himself are grateful to Defence Minister Aleksandar Vucic for his engagement concerning Vlasaj's hospitalisation at VMA and other things he did in this case. Vulin added that the EULEX investigation would be closely monitored.

The Republic of Serbia is willing to carry out the investigation in case the international community cannot do so, Vulin said and added that there is a risk that every crime which goes by unpunished can be committed again.

Serbia wants the international community to stick to its promises and establish rule of law for all citizens in Kosovo-Metohija in keeping with its capacities and ensure freedom of movement and personal safety and security of property, Vulin said.

According to him, Serbia and hopefully the global public have now seen the true face of the so-called Kosovo independence. Vulin said that the last apartheid of the 21st century is happening in Kosovo-Metohija and added that a young man was brutally beaten up because he visited Gracanica and because he dared to socialise with Serbs as a child from a mixed (Albanian-Serbian) marriage.

The Republic of Serbia is doing all it can to end this apartheid and to prevent such incidents from happening again, Vulin noted. The Kosovo police detained ten Serbs in Gracanica on January 7, after the Christmas liturgy in the local monastery on charges of disturbance of public peace and order and disrespect for police instructions during Vulin's visit to Kosovo.

The arrested Serbs were released from the Pristina prison detention on January 8 and two of them sought treatment in the northern Kosovska Mitrovica hospital, saying that the Kosovo police officers had beaten them up. After this, Vlasaj was transferred to VMA.