Petkovic informs French ambassador of Pristina's discriminatory moves

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met with French Ambassador to Belgrade Pierre Cochard on Wednesday to inform him of "impermissible discriminatory and unilateral moves" the regime of Pristina's PM Albin Kurti is making against Kosovo-Metohija Serbs on a daily basis with the sole objective of ethnic cleansing.

Petkovic noted that the most recent decision by the Pristina regime to stop payment transactions with central Serbia and abolish the Serbian dinar as the legal tender in Kosovo-Metohija from February 1 would make life impossible for Serbs in the province and put the functioning of hospitals, kindergartens and schools in question.

"This is a brutal blow to dialogue and another instance of Pristina undermining the process of forming a Community of Serb Municipalities, given that the signed agreements on the Community's powers envision financial support to the Serbs," Petkovic said.

He informed Cochard of petitions for the dismissal of false and illegitimate mayors and assembly members in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo-Metohija and said he expected them to resign as soon as possible as local Serbs had demonstrated once again that they did not want them in those posts.

He noted that the number of signatures collected exceeded the required 20 per cent of registered voters and that this unequivocally demonstrated the will of the Serbs.