Kosovo election unacceptable for Serbs in north

The unanimously-adopted conclusions state that the local election scheduled by Kosovo's President Atifete Jahjaga for November 3 is in line with the laws and Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, which is why the Interim Assembly considers it unacceptable.Participants of the session also concluded that the months-long delay in the work of the Constitutional Court of Serbia and its failure to rule on the constitutionality and legality of the Brussels agreement and accompanying agreements for its implementation has caused "irreparable political and legal damage."They demanded that the Constitutional Court pass the relevant decisions as soon as possible or at least an official position on whether Serbian citizens from Kosovo have the obligation or even the right to take part in a local election held by another unrecognized state.They also asked for an official position on whether Serbian citizens and bodies can take part in the implementation of Martti Ahtisaari's plan and the strategy for the integration of northern Kosovo, even though the documents were not officially accepted by any Serbian institution.At the beginning of today's session, representatives of Serbs from northern Kosovo who met with Serbia's top officials on Wednesday relayed the government's official position regarding the local election in Kosovo. Nedeljkovic: Serbia withdrawing from Kosovo by taking part in election Radenko Nedeljkovic, the head of the Kosovska Mitrovica District, says that by taking part in the local election in Kosovo, Serbia is in effect completely withdrawing from the province, which is why the Serbs in northern Kosovo will not go to the polls.On Friday Nedeljkovic informed members of the Interim Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo that Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in a meeting in Belgrade on Wednesday that he and the Serbian government have not changed their position on the local election and that "the election will be held with them or without them."Nikolic said the formation of a community of Serb municipalities was the main reason for voting, stressing that the people of Kosovo must show their strength in the election and that the Serbs in the north will be responsible for the outcome whether they cast a ballot, Nedeljkovic said.Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who was also present at the meeting held at the presidential building, agreed with this view, said Nedeljkovic, adding that he was assured Belgrade will not call on Serbs to vote unless the ballot design proposed by Pristina is changed.Nedeljkovic also relayed a message from Head of the Office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin, who said a boycott would be unsuccessful and would result in a win for people close to Pristina.According to Nedeljkovic, everyone at the meeting in Belgrade, except Bojan Jakovljevic (Serbian Progressive Party) who supported the election, said the election was unacceptable and they do not plan to run.e said the election was called by the president of the unrecognized state of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, and participation would mean a recognition of the Kosovo Constitution and law.He also said the competences of the community of Serb municipalities, whose establishment is planned under the Brussels agreement, are insignificant, and that the citizens of north Kosovo took a clear stand against the Kosovo institutions at last year's referendum.The head of the Kosovska Mitrovica District said the Kosovo election is in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, that it is not status neutral and that the institutions that would be formed in its wake could not replace existing Serbian institutions.