Dacic: Kurti is an arsonist

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, said today that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was an arsonist in the Balkans and the main obstacle to regional stability, RTV reports.

Dacic assessed that some countries did not want to admit it, just as parents did not want to admit when their child was guilty of something.

"While there is time, Kurti should be influenced," Dacic told TV Prva.

Speaking about the action to withdraw the recognition of Kosovo's independence, Dacic said that some countries that had recently withdrawn the recognition of Kosovo had already called and said that "they have already started calling them and asking why they withdrew the recognition of independence".

Dacic said that Kosovo could count on 84 votes in the United Nations (UN) and that he thought that this was insufficient for Kosovo to enter the UN.

He pointed out that it was very important that everyone in Serbia had a unified approach to the status of Kosovo and that it was therefore not good that certain parties hinted that Kosovo was independent and talked about whether or not sanctions should be imposed on Russia without taking Kosovo into account.

Dacic reiterated that within the dialogue with Pristina, there could be no new agreements on what had already been agreed, citing the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, that there was no recognition of Kosovo's independence and that the security of the Serbs in Kosovo had to be taken into account.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, said today that he had told the senior advisor at the State Department, Derek Chollet that no one in Serbia would accept Kosovo's independence, and that President Aleksandar Vucic was the key guarantor of peace and stability in the region, Serbia and Kosovo.

"I told Chollet that there was no one in Serbia who would accept the independence of Kosovo and Metohija," he pointed out.

Dacic said that he had also emphasized that Serbia was ready for dialogue, but that it was clear what the red lines were.

He explained that those lines meant that there was no renegotiation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, that Serbia was not willing either directly or indirectly to recognize the independence of Kosovo, and that Serbia would not allow the pogrom of the Serbs in Kosovo, and that it was KFOR's obligation to guarantee security.

Dacic emphasized the importance of establishing regular contact with Chollet, because it was important that he said correct and positive things about Serbia.

He stated that yesterday Chollet had met individually with the President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense and that he had not attended those meetings.

"It is positive when you hear from a high-ranking US official that the CSM is an obligation of Pristina," he said.

When asked whether the US could topple the government of Albin Kurti, Dacic answered with the question: “What Americans are not able to do?”

He assessed that the US wanted to form the CSM, according to what they were saying.

"If the West wants to influence Pristina, it has mechanisms. They created Pristina," he said.

He repeated that Kosovo was not an internationally recognized state and that with the new nine withdrawals of recognition, the number of states that recognized them as independent had decreased to 84 out of 194 UN members.

"It is realistically far from becoming a state. Before our action, there were more than 110 countries that recognized Kosovo. Serbia is a factor with which a political solution must be discussed. Whether Pristina will implement it, the international community must worry about that," Dacic said.

Speaking about the Franco-German proposal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia emphasized the importance of the absolute unity of the Serbian side and the same argumentation and approach.

"There are no new negotiations on what was agreed, that is, on the CSM. There is no recognition of Kosovo and Metohija. Nor consent for membership in the UN. The safety of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija must be guaranteed. Everyone is aware of this. While there is time, we need to influence him. We want to continue the dialogue on every modality, to talk even when we don't like it, but we know exactly what we can and can't do, we won't lie to anyone," Dacic concluded.