Presenting the Report, Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Goran Bogdanovic said that in the previous period the Government managed to relieve the tension and considerably contribute to maintaining peace as a requisite for the survival of Serbian citizens in Kosovo-Metohija, stating that special attention was paid to the position of Serbs south of the River Ibar.

The Government seeks a peaceful solution to all the problems in Kosovo-Metohija and will continue its dialogue with the provisional institutions in Pristina so as to create better living conditions for all the citizens in the Province.

Minister Bogdanovic said that cooperation with the international community was of paramount importance for a successful resolution to the difficult situation in the Province, adding that these contacts prevented Pristina’s tyranny and further exacerbation of the situation in the north of Kosovo. He repeated the Government’s position that referendum in some of the municipalities in the north of Kosovo is detrimental to Serbia’s state interests and weakens its negotiating position.

The Committee members criticised the Government’s report on the situation in Kosovo-Metohija stating that it does not give an objective picture. They supported the referendum in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo stating that the referendum would show whether the Serbs from the north of Kosovo are against the Kosovo institutions and what the Government agreed on with Pristina.

Following the debate replete with objections to the Government’s work, the Committee decided not to accept the Report on the activities of the Government of the Republic of Serbia on stabilizing the situation in Kosovo-Metohija by a majority of votes.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Ljubomir Kragovic.