Prishtina, 24 February 2010
Deputy Prime Minister Ramë Manaj, accompanied by the Minister of Communities and Return, Sasa Rasic, and the Prime Minister’s Adviser on community affairs, Srdjan Sentic, visited the Municipalities of Klina and Istog today where they were briefed on the situation regarding the return of displaced persons and the recent isolated cases of violence against Serb property.
Deputy Prime Minister Manaj initially visited Klina, where he met with Mayor Sokol Bashota and was informed on the situation in this municipality and the activities on encouraging the return of Serbs. Mayor Bashota mentioned his strong commitment to create a good climate for the returnees and those considering returning to their homes.
The Kosovo Government officials also visited the family of Vlada Radosavlevic in downtown Klina; Radosavlevic’s house windows were recently smashed by unknown persons.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated that he was in Klina to reconfirm the support and willingness of the Government to cooperate with this municipality in the return process and to ensure continuous progress. He stated, “In no way will we allow isolated incidents to damage the image of overall progress and development in Kosovo.”
Minister Rasic added that every incident should be punished by the relevant law enforcement institutions. He said, “These incidents will not spoil the image created and we will work on ensuring that they will not be repeated,” adding that 7.5 million euros have been set aside for the return process this year.
During their subsequent visit to Istog, the Government officials were received by the Deputy Mayor of Istog Municipality, Haki Rugova. Rugova stated that Istog Municipality is a model of tolerance and understanding, and that the recent case of violence against a member of the Serb community will not be tolerated and will not spoil the good image that has been created.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Rasic assured the municipal leadership in Istog that all measures will be taken to ensure the freedom of movement and guaranteed property rights for all people. They also promised that the Government, the international community and donors will work on creating conditions for the return of all displaced persons from Istog Municipality.
Last modified: July 31, 2022