Delegation member Milos Aligrudic was elected Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on External Relations, and delegation member Natasa Vuckovic, Chairperson of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs. Also, deputy delegation member Vesna Marjanovic was elected into the Bureau of the Socialist Group.
National Assembly deputy delegation member and PACE Vice-President Aleksandra Djurovic spoke today, at the plenary session on the resolution on Kosovo and the role of the Council of Europe

“Ladies and gentlemen, respected colleagues,

The Serbian delegation fully agrees with the strong wish of the Council of Europe to promote reconciliation and help improve the rule of law, but, what is most important to us, at the same time ensure the security of the all people living in Kosovo while keeping a status-neutral position.
Still, we retain our reservations about what is defined as an invitation to the Bureau of the Assembly to define the modalities of intensification and expansion of the dialogue with representatives of the political forces elected to the Assembly of Kosovo.
This, at first sight, small detail, could be a precursor to an encroachment on the status neutrality of the Council of Europe.
Moreover, as we have begun EU-mediated negotiations, it is very important not to impede the progress being made in the negotiations by putting pressure on one side. Any decision that might imply a change in status neutrality of the Council of Europe could undermine the negotiations themselves at some stage.
On one hand, Serbia has a strong interest in supporting the Council of Europe’s efforts in Kosovo. On the other, the negotiations in Brussels must maintain a constructive and reasonable pace.
I therefore urge you to bear it in mind that the current stage of negotiations is very sensitive. Any attempt to undermine one side’s efforts could prove dangerous, because sooner or later, the talks will enter the stage when the negotiators will have to resolve difficult, fundamental issues.
Over the past several months, the new Serbian Government and the national Parliament have made substantial concessions, first in order to begin negotiations and then in order to keep them going despite frequent obstacles, often created by those who profit from the current situation. We are not asking for applause or praise, but for an unbiased assessment of the situation as it really is on the ground, and for a break in the wall of silence on the issues in Kosovo as they are represented in reports by Europol or the European Court of Auditors, whose report is mentioned in the Council of Europe’s document.
Finally, I would like to thank you for your attention and for the efforts made on Kosovo by the Council of Europe. And, of course, I would like to thank Mr. Bjorn von Sydow, for his role especially because, we will all agree, his has been a difficult task.

Thank you.”

The PACE Winter Session is taking from 21 to 25 January 2013.