Dacic: Elections in Kosovo’s North Not to Solve All Problem

Ivica Dacic (Photo: PrintScreen RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Oct. 14  that elections in the north of Kosovo were not a panacea, but that they would certainly stabilize government in the northern Kosovo municipalities.

“The elections will not resolve the problem in its entirety, but will certainly contribute to stabilizing government in these four municipalities in Kosovo. We will not have quasi-mayors, and the Serbs working in the municipal administration bodies will be able to go to work normally,” Dacic said in an interview with the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS).

The international community wants an early vote in four municipalities in Kosovo’s north and the Serb List party urged Pristina on Oct. 13 to call early local elections as soon as possible. The government of Kosovo said it was not up to it call the elections, although it did support them, adding that for an early vote to take place, citizens of the north of Kosovo should launch a petition for the dismissal of their mayors.

Speaking about the situation in the north of Kosovo, where local Serbs face shortages of medicine and a lack of money - dinars, Dacic said that Belgrade’s opportunities to react were limited without a physical presence. “We cannot implement something without a physical presence. The international community should find a way for the Serbs to live normally, and it must be part of the dialogue,” he said.