Serbian ministers' resignations from Kosovo government

The Serbian list, although it has renounced the unilateral proclamation of the Association of Serb-run municipalities, has not changed its stance when representation in Kosovo institutions is in question.

Her ministers are resigning, but they do their activities while not attending the Kosovo Government meetings. While the deputies of the list have crossed into opposition.

In the Government of Kosovo, Serb List participation in the work of institutions will be clarified very soon.

Igor Simun, deputy from the Serbian List ranks, says the deputies of the List continue to work from the opposition tray, while the ministers are in resignation.

The Serbian List's stance has not changed since that time, when we have made the decision that ministers leave the government in the sense that they do not participate in government meetings and are only in technical capacities, while MPs act as opposition. It means, nothing has changed in the work of the Serbian List since we've made a decision to withdraw”, Simay told Radio Free Europe.

The Serbian list has three ministers, one of them in the post of deputy prime minister, holds several deputy ministers' positions and has 10 deputies in the Assembly.

This political subject decided to withdraw from the Kosovo government at the end of March, following the arrest of Kosovo Co-ordination Office Director in Serbia Marko Djuric.

Djuric was imprisoned and then deported, because he had entered Mitrovica to realise the visit without the permission of Kosovo institutions.

After this development, the Serbian List had warned unilateral declaration of Association on April 20th, if by then the Government of Kosovo did not begin with the formation process.

Meanwhile, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, after a preliminary agreement with President Hashim Thaci, decided to activate the task of the Steering Team for drafting the Association statute. This Ekip has a four-month deadline to complete the job, which has been confirmed by a communiqué issued by the European Union as a facilitator in talks between Pristina and Belgrade. On Thursday, representatives of the Serbian List said they would wait and respect that deadline, cancelling unilateral actions.

Despite the Serbian List decision, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on April 11th he does not accept the removal of List from the government and had demanded that the dialogue begin with this political subject. Haradinaj's offer was accepted in principle by the Serbian List, but dialogue has not yet occurred.

According to Haradinaj, although the Serbian List is not active in the government, it has in many cases responded by fulfilling its obligations in office.

Kosovo Prime Minister Avni Arifi's cabinet chief has told Radio Free Europe that talks on the active role of the Serbian List in the government are still under way, and that the coming weeks, according to him, the issue will be cleared up, respectively.

Meanwhile, ministers of the Serbian List have been seen on the ground carrying out their duties, even though they are on the run. Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development Minister Nenad Ricalo visited agricultural producers in the Yunik region on Thursday along with the US and Hungarian ambassador.

And Minister for Communities and Kthim Dallibor Yevtic continues his meetings and on the ministry's website doesn't figure out where he is on the run or stepping down.

Recognition of political developments in Kosovo, Rangell Nojkick, once deputy in the Kosovo Assembly, says ministers' resignations are destructive, because they continue to carry out their duties and exploit the benefits Kosovo institutions bring them.

If they were in the opposition seats, they would act this way: They would say, please vote the government's vote of confidence and see whether the government has the majority or not, says Nojik.

Such conduct of the Serbian List, according to him, is more of an attempt to shake the eyes of Serbs living in Kosovo.