Before tackling the items on the agenda, Committee Chairman Milovan Drecun read the letter sent to the Committee by the President of the Serbian List Slavko Simic.

The Office for Kosovo-Metohija Activity Report for the period January-June 2016 was presented by the Office Director Marko Djuric who briefed the Committee members on the state-of-play in Kosovo-Metohija. Djuric informed the Committee that he believes the separatism in Kosovo-Metohija has entered a new, dangerous phase – attempt to seize Serbian property. He said that the Pristina parliament is adopting a legislative mosaic which would allow Albanians to seize Serbian property eschewing the Serb community, accompanied by silence from the international community which should be the mediator. Djuric said that Serbia has chosen not to remain silent on the seizure of Trepca, or the fact that the international community and the mediators are keeping silent. He reminded that the case of Trepca is a case of attempted seizure of state property, as well as shareholders’ property, accompanied by the adoption of a law that allows the confiscation of mineral resources and contract with investors on Serbian territory without a tender or consultation with the Serb population.

“All of this has cast a “dark shadow” on the dialogue, we are for dialogue but it is clear both Pristina and the European community use it as a platform to impose their stance on the status of Kosovo. From here, the Parliament, we tell them that it will not pass and that we will fight it. From this place I send a clear message to the interlocutors in Brussels that the Republic of Serbia has its own EU Negotiating Team and Minister for European integration”, said the Director of the Office for Kosovo-Metohija, criticising the influence of Pristina institutions on the establishment of the negotiating framework for Chapter 35.

Djuric said that Serbia will continue to support its people in Kosovo-Metohija and staunchly fight to keep Kosovo-Metohija and asked all political actors in Serbia to stand united on the issue.

In the ensuing discussion the attending spoke about the money spent and projects realised in the reporting period, standards and negotiating framework for Chapter 35, who adopted them and why the MPs do not have that information, frozen mandates of the representatives of the Serbian List in Pristina and its effects, project Sun Valley, situation in Brezovica, MPs’ visits to Kosovo-Metohija, stance on the Brussels agreements and talks, implementation of what was agreed in Brussels, the presentation of the Director of the Office for Kosovo-Metohija at the Committee sitting, how current i.e. not current the Office for Kosovo-Metohija Activity Report is, Serbian unity concerning Kosovo-Metohija, establishment of an association/community of Serb majority municipalities, extinguishment of Serbian institutions in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, usurpation of Serbian property, ban on certain MPs entering Kosovo-Metohija, sustainable return of Serbs, infrastructural projects and funds given to the municipalities in the north of Kosovo-Metohija. The officials also drew attention to the living conditions of the Serbian people, the area’s tourist potentials, especially in Velika Hoca, relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese of Raska and Prizren, sale of Serbian properties and exodus, especially from villages, and the potential for the development of entrepreneurship.

After the discussion, the Committee members accepted the Office for Kosovo-Metohija Activity Report for the period January-June 2016, by majority vote.

Dragan Vladisavljevic, acting director of the Office for the Coordination of Affairs in the Process of Negotiations with Pristina, presented the Information on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the state-of-play and dynamics of the dialogue based on the previously signed technical agreements.

Vladisavljevic said that the previous period was characterised by a dialogue on three groups on questions – vital question such as the association/community of Serb majority municipalities and the cadastre, implementation of what was agreed, such as telecommunication, energy, bridge, diplomas, police, judiciary, official visits, and questions where no agreement was reached due to Pristina’s disagreement such as property, status of the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church and respecting the human rights of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

Vladisavljevic informed the Committee members on all the issues in detail, after which the Committee members spoke about cessation of dialogue in Brussels especially now that Pristina is attempting to seize Serbian property, Republic of Serbia calling local elections in Kosovo-Metohija, establishment of the association/community of Serb majority municipalities, implementation of what is important for the Albanian, and not the Serbian side, etc.

Following the discussion the Committee adopted a number of conclusions.

The Committee then, by majority vote, adopted the Proposal of the Decision on the establishment of the Working Group for the collection of facts and evidence for the investigation of crimes committed against Serbs and other national communities in Kosovo-Metohija, pursuant to Article 27 and Article 44 of the National Assembly Rules of Procedure, to maintain the continuation in the collection of facts and evidence since the Working Group existed in the previous parliamentary legislature.

The Working Group is to comprise: Committee Chairman MA Milovan Drecun as Chair, and as members Goran Bogdanovic, Committee member, Zvonimir Stevic, Committee member, Mirko Krlic, Committee member, Zoran Radojicic, Committee deputy member, Dragoljub Stankovic, Deputy Prosecutor for War Crimes at the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office, Momcilo Stevanovic, Head of the War Crimes Detection Unit at the Criminal Police Administration of the Ministry of Interior, Veljko Odalovic, President of the Commission for Missing Persons, Vesna Boskovic, advisor at the Commission for Missing Persons, and Igor Popovic, Head of the Group for the Judiciary, Human Rights and Property and Legal Affairs at the Office for Kosovo-Metohija.

The Committee Chairman also informed the members that the Committee had received threes civic petitions in the period between the two sittings.

The sitting was attended by the presidents of Serb municipalities from the territory of Kosovo-Metohija, political advisors to the UN Office Belgrade and representatives of the EU Delegation in Serbia.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman MA Milovan Drecun, and attended by Committee members and deputy members: Zvonimir Stevic, Bozidar Delic, Miljan Damjanovic, Snezana Paunovic, Nemanja Sarovic, Gordana Comic, Miroljub Stankovic, Bosko Obradovic, Zoran Radojicic, Slavisa Ristic, Dr Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Goran Bogdanovic, Mirko Krlic, Miodrag Linta, Aleksandar Markovic, Vladimir Petkovic, Milovan Krivokapic, Marko Blagojevic, Sonja Vlahovic, Dragomir Karic and Tanja Tomasevic Damnjanovic.