Searching for Solutions for Kosovo's North (ENGLISH) - Cigonline.net

the Ahtisaari plan. He asked whether Serbs and Belgrade have a plan. He also
said that it is not clear to Pristina who it should talk to about the north: to the
Serbs in the north or to Belgrade.
Pristina and the Serbs in the North
Establishing trust, communication and cooperation within the region
of Mitrovica
In a follow up to the conclusions of the Vienna roundtable, the participants
discussed the possibility of initiating communication between Pristina and the
Serbs in the north. A number of representatives from Kosovo extended a public
invitation to the Serbs in the north to begin communication and cooperation with
Kosovo’s institutions including visiting the government ministries in Pristina.
Some suggested that a first step might be for the Serbs in the north to talk to
the Serbs in the Kosovo government about their experience of integration. A
speaker said that the referendum in the north has complicated the situation.
“The referendum may have no legal implications but will have political ones.”
He added that Belgrade does not control the Serbs in the north directly but it
does fund them. He suggested it would be good if the Serbian mayors in the
north could sit down and come up with a joint strategy, even though this is very
difficult, and almost impossible to achieve at the moment,” the speaker said.
Some Serbs in the north support engagement and are making certain positive
moves but admit that others who are against it are in control of the situation and
make the final decisions on these issues.
There are many Serbs who are willing to participate in Kosovo’s institutions
but they are intimidated, said a speaker, adding that there are currently about
“8,000 applications for Kosovo IDs pending with the Kosovo institutions and
about 2,000 people from the north are currently on the Kosovo government’s
payroll.” The speaker said that Kosovo’s government is willing to invest in the
north but the Serbs do not accept Kosovo government funds. There are a number
of projects underway, such as the cemetery maintenance and installation of
lights in the vicinity of churches. The government spent about half a million
euros on four projects in 2011. The project proposals came from the local Serbs.
The speaker said that not all parallel structures are criminal or illegal and added
that Serbia-funded health and education services should remain.
A speaker familiar with the Serbian structures in the north said that they also
support the resolution of the crisis through peaceful means, but, according to
him, the Serbs in the north are avoiding communication with Pristina because
Pristina says they are criminals and corrupted people, referring also to the
mayors. He said that EULEX should treat both communities equally. “It is on
the side of the Albanians for now.” He explained that Serbs in the north cannot
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