Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Đurić: Serbia appalled at verdict to Ivanović, resumption of dialogue should be reconsidered

Director of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Đurić said today that Serbia is appalled at the verdict delivered to the leader of the Citizens' Initiative SDP Oliver Ivanović, and that in the current circumstances, Belgrade should seriously reconsider the resumption of the dialogue with Priština.

“In my personal opinion, Priština and the IC should now extend additional assurances to Serbia that the dialogue makes sense. It seems to me that we don’t have much to talk about in this atmosphere, and that everything boils down to humiliating Serbia,” Đurić told the press.

Đurić wandered about the purpose and point of further participation in the dialogue if all agreements serving Serbia’s interest are silently and blatantly traduced, while new concessions are made to Priština as an enfant terrible who needs to be instructed about what is expected from it in the process.

As he underscored, Serbia has no particular interest in taking part in a process unless it is conducive to generating benefit to the citizens and the country.

Đurić noted that he would notify the Prime Minister and the members of the Government about his position on this issue.

“Serbia must not remain silent about what happened today. The Government and the PM should promptly take a public stand, and in my opinion we should not turn a blind eye to the fact that this verdict constitutes a sharp slap in the face of Serbia as a whole, a slap in the face of justice and law, and as to the dialogue, and Priština’s attitude towards it and the implementation, merely one of the slaps to that process as well, “ Đurić said.

According to Đurić, by this act Priština has, in the plain sight of the whole IC, the EU and all countries taking part in the process, traduced on the agreement on the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

Đurić underlined that Serbia is appalled by the verdict as a symbol of injustice and trampling on Ivanović’s fundamental human and political rights, and also as an endeavor to humiliate Serbia and the whole of Serbian nation in Kosovo and Metohija.

Đurić also pointed out the significance of the timing of the pronouncement of the verdict, which he does not see as a mere chance, adding that Serbia is interpreting it as a signal of encouragement to the Albanian side, an attempt to coerce Priština, by offering new concessions, into taking part in the dialogue, even though Priština has done nothing to comply with its obligations.

On the other hand, the objective of the verdict is also to create an artificial balance ahead of the establishment of the International court for the KLA crimes.

Đurić also pointed out that the fallout of this verdict will be that a man will be kept a hostage for nine years, as will his family, to someone’s desire to ensure a short-term political gain.

This is, he underlined, both immoral and cruel and has nothing whatsoever to do with the law and justice.

“This was not a judicial proceeding but rather a political process which resulted in a political decision. Ivanović is not a convict but a hostage,” Đurić said, adding that the verdict to Ivanović is yet another slap in the faces of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and an insult to all genuine victims of violence in Kosovo and Metohija.

Đurić added that Ivanović has become a marionette in the brutal game of the puppet judiciary in Kosovo and Metohija, a system which does not function at all and fully serves the interest of politics.

“It’s a political message not only to the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, but to Belgrade and Serbia proper, and also to political representatives of the Kosovo Albanians seeking to strike an artificial political balance,” Đurić said.

Responding to whether Belgrade reacted appropriately in the course of the proceedings, Đurić said that Belgrade stood by Ivanović the whole time, as wall as by all the other accused.

“We stand by our people in Kosovo and Metohija, but this is not about law and justice, this is about a gross injustice, because one man is to be someone’s hostage and sent to the prison," Đurić said.

He added that Ivanović is aided by top lawyers, but no lawyer can help when there is a political will to punish and humiliate Serbia.