Petkovic: Kosovo-Metohija Serbs targeted by attacks, attempts to subjugate them

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met with the UK's Ambassador to Belgrade Edward Ferguson on Tuesday and noted that, on a daily basis, Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija faced political disenfranchisement, constant attacks and attempts to subjugate them to Pristina through violence and non-democratic means.

According to a statement released by the Office, Petkovic voiced concern over Pristina's decision to stop payment transactions with central Serbia from February 1 and abolish the Serbian dinar as the legal tender in the province, and noted that this was a special form of pressure that would certainly lead to the Serb population moving out of Kosovo-Metohija.

"This decision also leads to all agreements reached to date becoming pointless, including the agreement to form a Community of Serb Municipalities, structurally based also on institutions operating within the dinar payment system," Petkovic said, noting that the dinar was the "only legal currency in Kosovo-Metohija."

He said this was a dangerous unilateral move by Pristina's PM Albin Kurti that posed not only a political but, above all, a social and humanitarian problem with disastrous consequences.

Petkovic also informed Ferguson of the fact Kosovo-Metohija Serbs had submitted signed petitions for a dismissal of illegitimate mayors and assembly members in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo-Metohija and that they expected the problem to be resolved as soon as possible.

"The false mayors and assembly members were elected with 3.5 per cent of votes, and more than enough signatures for their dismissal have now been collected - more than 20 per cent of the total registered voters," he said.

Serbs and ethnic Albanians cannot resolve their disagreements over Kosovo-Metohija in any way other than through dialogue, which Belgrade will continue to work on with commitment, he said.