Claudia Luciani, head of the South East Europe Division of the Council of Europe Directorate General of Political Affairs and Cooperation, heading the delegation of the Council of Europe Monitoring Mission, talked today with the representatives of minority and opposition Deputy Groups about the position of minorities and the future status of Kosovo.

She conducted separate meetings at the National Assembly House with Minority, Serbian Radical Party, Socialist Party of Serbia and Liberal Democratic Party deputies.

At the meeting with the President of the Minority Deputy Group, Balint Pastor, the main topic of conversation were the position and rights of minorities in Serbia. Pastor stated that minorities are not as satisfactorily represented in state institutions and the media, as it is presented to the public.

During the talk the President of the Serbian Radical Party Deputy Group, Tomislav Nikolic, stated that Serbia has provided all minority rights and that his party is prepared to overcome any problems should they arise, but that it has no support because minority representatives are more inclined to speak to European institutions.

On the behalf of the Socialist Party of Serbia Deputy Group, Zarko Obradovic and Rajko Baralic conveyed their party’s opinions on the status of Kosovo to the representatives of the Monitoring Mission, stressing that a unilateral acknowledgement of Kosovo independence would create a deep and long-term crisis.

Representing the Liberal Democratic Party Deputy Group, Ivan Andric and Nenad Prokic talked to the members of the Monitoring Mission about the current political situation in Serbia. They expressed their party’s well-known opinions on Kosovo and pointed out that all other burning issues in the country are being avoided because of the negotiations on the status of Kosovo.

On 6 December, members of the Vojvodina Deputies’ Group, Aleksandra Jerkov and Aleksandar Marton, met with the members of the Monitoring Mission at the National Assembly House. They talked about the current political situation in Vojvodina pointing out the province’s dissatisfaction with the general state of affairs in Serbia and with the province’s status. The Vojvodina Deputies believe that Serbia has democratic capacity, but that the Council of Europe’s help would also be invaluable, especially in solving the issue of decentralisation and reinstating the authority that the province used to have.