Vucic: Some kind of agreement has been reached, the CSM is a priority obligation

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, pointed out tonight, after a new round of negotiations at the highest level within the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Ohrid, that an agreement on the implementation plan should have been reached at those meetings and that "some kind of agreement has been reached".

"I'm happy about that. But this will not be all. It is important to say that these few points that we have agreed on will become part of the negotiation framework for both sides and one of the key points is that the European Council will assess how much has been done from the implementation plan, which will certainly have to be expanded," he explained and he added that he wouldn't mind the plan being like this.

He pointed out that, apart from the important item that the fact that the EU would put it as an integral part of the negotiation framework had been acknowledged, it was of great importance for Serbia that the CSM had been put as a priority obligation and that in accordance with the previously signed agreements.

"That's why I'm really happy. There is still talk about missing persons, about donor conferences... But the plan will definitely have to be upgraded," he emphasized.

He pointed out that he knew and expected that the Albanian side would insist that he had not signed anything that night.

"And I haven't signed anything even today," he emphasized.

He added that both he and Albin Kurti had made it clear, each in different ways, their red lines, but that a good move had been made, in a constructive atmosphere, and that something would be started.

"It wasn't D-Day, but it was an OK day," Vucic said.

He announced that the next day he would present each item to the citizens and explain what had happened during the conversation and what would follow.

"From Monday and Tuesday, I will be ready to receive all parliamentary groups for consultations, to see if we should go with some general act to the parliament..." Vucic said.

He stated that in the coming months, there would certainly be serious and not-easy work.

"We will see, I believe that the Pristina side will fulfill or begin to fulfill the obligation to form the CSM, which was stated 'immediately'." Whether he will or not, I don't know. If we want to persevere on our EU path, our progress will be assessed through how much and what we will do in terms of implementation," Vucic said.

As he said, if it was possible that after difficult conversations about unpopular things, he could say that he had a grain of satisfaction - he could say that at that moment.

"We had a decent conversation despite numerous disagreements. Constructive, with gratefulness from the European representatives for correctness," Vucic said.

He clarified that the document said that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities should be formed in accordance with the already agreed agreements, but that he was not sure if it would be formed at all.

When asked by a journalist whether the CSM would be formed in accordance with the Brussels Dialogue, he said that it was written so.

"That's what it says, but whether it will be formed at all or not, take it easy, people, this is a paper and enters the negotiation framework, and whether it will be or not, who knows," Vucic said, and added that he had thought it would happen in 2013 and 2014.

When asked if they had discussed the return of the Serbs and if Kurti had undertaken to stop the rhetoric that causes tensions, Vucic stated that he had not wanted to participate in the quarrel between Serbian and Albanian journalists in Ohrid.

"It's great that they can't wait to say how it's going to be in accordance with their constitution, and it's not written here, and it's great that you can't wait for the not written. Now it's not written, but who knows what will happen in the future. Tough is a process, it is important to me that I said what our red lines were and I repeat that, and Kurti also said that there was no philosophy, everyone protected their own interests," Vucic said.

He also says that Kurti has been asking all day to sign the agreement.

"We don't have many obligations now, but I won't mislead anyone, when we meet in a month, two, three, then we will discuss some of our obligations," he said.

When asked by an Albanian journalist whether Kurti had asked Serbia to apologize for the aggression against Kosovo in 1999, Vucic says that no one ever mentioned it to him and that Kurti is also asking for war reparations, not just an apology.

"If you could only know what I'm asking for; I am not going to speak about that now. Yesterday they offered me one thing, I asked for another, but they didn't give it to me," Vucic said.

On the return of the Serbs to institutions

When asked if a new date had been set for the talks, Vucic replied in the negative.

"No new date has been set, now we need to start talking about the CSM," Vucic said.

When asked about the return of Serbs to the institutions and their possible participation in the elections, Vucic said that this had not been discussed that day.

"I talked about it with Escobar, because he talked to the Serb List. They said they wouldn't. And, if the formation of the CSM starts, maybe that would open the door, but I can't speak on behalf of the Serb List until I talk to them," Vucic said.

He added that he did not think that was the most important issue at the moment.

"If we move in the right direction with this, there will be a return to the institutions, but if you ask me if I'm an optimist, given that I know how this came to be, I don't think it's going to be easy," Vucic said.

When asked by an Albanian journalist if he was ready to visit Pristina as the president of Serbia and meet with Kurti, as the prime minister of Kosovo, as a sign of good relations, Vucic said that he often met Kurti, that he did not need to repeat that their views on the status of Kosovo were different but that meeting often was good for relationships between people.

"I especially like to go to Gracanica, which used to be a part of Pristina. There is a wonderful monastery and many good locals that I like to go to. And I invite you to go there together on the day of their patron Saint, to treat each other, for the friendship between the Serbs and Albanians," Vucic said.

When asked if there was a compromise solution, he replied that this was just the beginning, and that something that had lasted for 150 years could not be solved in a day, but that a solution had to be sought.

"These are serious processes; we are solving problems, which would mean that people from both sides of the administrative line would live better. To endure criticism and to find solutions is the goal, and that cannot happen overnight. We have to keep working, only now our results will be measured individually," Vucic said.

Formation of the commission within 30 days; the CSM to be formed immediately

He explained that a commission chaired by the EU should now be formed within 30 days.

"I know that there were deadlines in the first plan, and there are some deadlines here, we have to form a joint monitoring and commission that will be chaired by the EU within 30 days. Let's go to the CSM right away, and also make a declaration on missing persons," Vucic said.

In response to a journalist's statement that this was not according to the Kosovo constitution, Vucic said that the Kosovo side had to fulfill what it had committed to and what it had signed.

"I don't have to fulfill what I didn't sign, and you signed it and therefore you have to fulfill it. That is a logical rule," Vucic said.

He read Article 7 from the document.

"In order to fulfill the obligations from Article 7, Kosovo within the framework of the EU dialogue urgently begins discussions on the establishment of concrete guarantee arrangements that would ensure the appropriate level of self-governance of the Serbs in Kosovo in accordance with the previously valid dialogue agreements adopted within the framework of the EU dialogue," Vucic said.

He assessed that Pristina could not choose what it liked in the document to accept and what it did not, but had to follow the rules.

The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and the EU representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, met separately today in Ohrid with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, followed by a trilateral meeting that lasted seven hours.