Petkovic: Expulsion of Serbs real reason for Pristina's dinar ban

BELGRADE - At a meeting with German Ambassador to Belgrade Anke Konrad, the head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic warned that an expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo-Metohija and abolition of Serbian institutions in the province were the real reasons behind Pristina's ban on the Serbian dinar, which took effect on February 1.

Petkovic said it was easy to see through Pristina's intent to close the subject of forming a Community of Serb Municipalities by making such a decision as agreements signed to date envisioned Belgrade as a provider of financial support to Kosovo-Metohija Serbs.

Petkovic said Belgrade would continue to insist on the establishment of the Community, the Office for Kosovo-Metohija said in a statement.

He said a recent Brussels meeting had addressed the "completely unreasonable and dangerous decision" by Pristina's PM Albin Kurti to ban the dinar and put into doubt payments of salaries, pensions and social benefits to 100,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians in the province.

Petkovic said the decision also thwarted the operation of schools, hospitals, kindergartens and other Serbian institutions there.

He said that, by not sending its chief negotiator to Brussels, Pristina had continued to obstruct dialogue and jeopardise efforts to normalise relations in the province, while Belgrade, as always in the past, had demonstrated that it believed dialogue was the most efficient barrier to escalation of tensions and a guarantee of security to the Serbs.

He noted that Belgrade would continue to insist on finding a permanent and sustainable solution to this problem to enable the Serbs to survive in Kosovo-Metohija.

Petkovic said Serbia's Postal Savings Bank and Post of Serbia branch offices needed to continue to operate in Kosovo-Metohija as that was the only way to ensure the Serbs could receive their incomes.