At the sitting of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija held on 4 May, the Committee members were informed on the course of the negotiations with the provisional self-government institutions in Pristina.

Head of the Serbian Government’s Negotiating Team for dialogue with Pristina Borislav Stefanovic gave an overview of the current course of negotiations, stressing that the last three rounds resulted in a step forward in the negotiations particularly regarding the cadastre and registry books, adding that the Serbian team’s proposals are constructive and grounded in the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and assembly resolutions. He announced that the fourth round of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, in mid-March in Brussels, would not open new topics but discuss the already launched ones – registry books, cadastre, customs stamps, telecommunications, electric power and freedom of movement. Stefanovic stressed that the state leadership is absolutely unified as regards all the steps undertaken by the Belgrade negotiating team and that only dialogue, though long and difficult, can produce a solution.

The Committee members expressed their pleasure at the negotiating team’s work so far and their efforts to bring the talks on the topics where the two sides’ positions have come closest together, to a successful end. Discussion gave voice to a number of questions regarding the announced visit of the negotiating team head to Pristina, as well as the solutions relating to telecommunications and electric power. Stefanovic responded that he has the support of the state leadership to visit Pristina before the continuation of the negotiations in Brussels and that he would talk to Serbs south and north of river Ibar, as well as Albanian representatives. Regarding telecommunications and electric power he explained that the two sides, having failed to reach an agreement, decided that the EU should propose an acceptable solution.

At the sitting, the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija unanimously endorsed the initiative launched by Committee member deputy Srdjan Milivojevic to build a maternity hospital in the municipality of Strpce.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Ljubomir Kragovic.