Petkovic does not recognise Constitutional Court's competence regarding Association

The so-called director of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, Petar Petkovovic, has said on Thursday that he does not recognise the Constitutional Court of Kosovo as an institution that could suspend or annul the formation of the Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo.

He has made those statements Thursday, the same day the US ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has said before the media that the Constitutional Court of Kosovo will issue its final word on the constitutionality of a draft status status establishment that has been introduced to Kosovo on 21 October.

The association of Serb majority municipalities, with concrete competencies for the Serbian people, has been negotiated more than 10 years ago in Brussels, and no declaration -- and no one's wish -- will undo what has been guaranteed by the entire European Union, and signed by representatives of Belgrade and Pristina”, Petkov has said.

Kosovo and Serbia have reached agreement on Association in 2013 and later 2015 on principles for its establishment.

But in 2015, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo found that the agreement was not in full accordance with the Constitution, so the official Pristina refuses to implement that agreement.

Ambassador Havenier has said the draft status of Western officials is fully in line with the Kosovo Constitution.

“should be in line with the current Kosovo Constitution. Constitutional changes should not be required. It must be in accordance with the Constitutional Court's decisions. There shouldn't be executive powers. There should be no additional level of power. We believe that this draft, which has been handed over to the Government of Kosovo, meets all these criteria, and we believe it is written in a manner that is in line with the Kosovo Constitution”.

Asked why the draft has not been made public, he has said there is nothing secret, but these are only diplomatic issues for the better of the process.