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13 minutes agoUS State Department: Allow Serbs in Kosovo to vote Sunday in referendum
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)The US State Department has reacted to the situation created in Kosovo on the issue of holding Serbia's referendum. The UN has re-published the communique issued by the QUINT, where it reportedly supports the referendum and calls for all Serbian citizens to vote on it. In this case, The UN has called [...]
The UN has re-published the communique issued by the QUINT, where it reportedly supports the referendum and calls for all Serbian citizens to vote on it.
In this case, The UN has called on the Government of Kosovo to allow this referendum to be held, as they say, “the right to vote by Serbs”.
“We regret that the Kosovo government has not allowed the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSBE) to collect voter ballot ballots living in Kosovo for the upcoming referendum, in line with the previous practice. We call on the Kosovo government to allow Serbs in Kosovo to exercise their right to vote in elections and election processes in line with this established practice of”, the UN communiqué says.
The U.S. State Department's full call:
France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union welcome Serbia's January 16th referendum on constitutional changes as a key step to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and boost the transparency and effectiveness of the rule of law in the country. We believe these reforms are a step towards bringing Serbia closer to European standards and will support Serbia's EU membership process.
We have encouraged all Serbian citizens to participate in the referendum and believe it is important that voters rightly vote wherever they are able to vote in elections and referenda. We regret that the Kosovo government has not allowed the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSBE) to collect voter ballot ballots that live in Kosovo for the upcoming referendum, in line with past practice. We call on the Kosovo government to allow Serbs in Kosovo to exercise their right to vote in elections and election processes in line with this established practice. We call on the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to refrain from actions and rhetoric that raise tensions and engage constructively in the EU-launched dialogue. It is important that both governments make progress towards a comprehensive agreement unlocking the EU's perspective and boosting regional stability.
