BelgradeSatisfied with Second Round of Decentralization Talks in Vienna
The second round of talks between the Serb and Albanian delegations on decentralization of Kosovo in Vienna has not produced any final agreement, but the Belgrade negotiating team is satisfied with the Vienna talks. "The conclusion of Albert Rohan, who presided over the meeting, is in accordance with our hopes. There are still many things to talk about. We have taken a step forward and there can be no going back. For example, as regards to the need of the Serb municipalities to have ties with Belgrade," assessed the Serbian PM Advisor Slobodan Samardzic. He added that the talks had been satisfactory and that the result could be very favourable for Belgrade. In an interview with Vecernje Novosti Leon Kojen, the member of Belgrade negotiating team and the Political Advisor to the Serbian President said that, except for the issue of establishing new municipalities in Kosovo, the discussion on decentralization, which included broader powers of the Serb municipalities, their horizontal ties and direct ties with Belgrade, has been rounded up. According to him, in case that an agreement is reached it remains to be seen when it will be implemented: "We urged that it should be implemented right away, and I think we shall have the support of the international community on this, whereas the Albanians will urge that it be implemented as late as possible. They have already mentioned 2008 and 2009, and even that it will be implemented one day after the Kosovo status is defined. We will also insist that the reached decentralization concept is included in the future Kosovo constitution," said Kojen. The member of the Belgrade negotiating team Goran Bogdanovic told Vecernje Novosti that the Serbian side must continue to insist on substantial decentralization of power in Kosovo and ties between Serb municipalities and Belgrade. He voiced satisfaction with the understanding that Albert Rohan had expressed toward the Belgrade delegation. The Deputy of the UN S-G Special Envoy for future status process in Kosovo Albert Rohan told the press following the second round of Vienna talks that financing of Kosovo municipalities must be transparent. According to him, the municipalities can cooperate in areas within their jurisdiction, adding that no one among the participants had challenged the legitimacy of ties between the Serb municipalities with Belgrade in certain areas, like education and healthcare. Rohan has announced that the international negotiators would try to identify solutions that could be acceptable to both sides and send this document to Belgrade and Pristina. He has announced that the next meeting has been scheduled for 3 April. Albanian negotiators opposed direct financial ties between Belgrade and Serbian municipalities. RTS reported from Vienna that Pristina delegation insisted that Belgrade could assist the future municipalities, but only if this assistance would be directed through the Kosovo Government, while ties between Serb municipalities and Belgrade, according to Pristina, could only be of informal kind.
