AGREEMENT ON MULTIETHNIC GOVERNMENT IN BUJANOVAC SIGNED

Milan Markovic, President of the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja and Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, along with representatives of   the Serbian and Albanian political parties, signed, yesterday, the Agreement on Establishment of the Multiethnic Government in Bujanovac.

Apart from Minister Markovic, the document was also signed by Saip Kamberi, President of the Municipality of Bujanovac, Riza Halimi, Leader of the Party for Democratic Action, Jonuz Musliu, Leader of the Movement for Democratic Progress, Mejdi Zeciri, Leader of the Democratic Union of the Albanians, Sasa Pesic, Trustee of the Democratic Party - The Coalition for “The European Serbia” and Stojanca Arsic, a representative of the Group of Citizens “Stojanca Arsic, PhD, and Miodrag Milkovic, MD.

Under the agreement, the government in the municipality of Bujanovac, apart from the thus-far three Albanian political parties, shall include two Serbian political parties and a group of citizens. The government in Bujanovac shall include the Party for Democratic Action, which has 13 (thirteen) deputies, the Movement for Democratic Progress, which has 6 (six) deputies and the Democratic Union of the Albanians, which has 3 (three) deputies. The Coalition for “The European Serbia – Boris Tadic” (two deputies from the Democratic Party and one from G17+) and the Group of Citizens “Stojanca Arsic, PhD, and Miodrag Milkovic, MD” have three deputies each.

The document envisages that the Serbian Parties get the positions of Assistant President of the Municipality, Deputy President of the Municipal Assembly, Head of the Municipal Administration, four members of the Municipal Council, Director of the Pharmacy, Director of the Library and Deputy Director of the Health Center.

Representatives of the Serbian and Albanian political parties that make up the new governing coalition in the Bujanovac Assembly said that residents of the municipality would benefit the most from establishment of the multiethnic government.

Milan Markovic, President of the Coordination Body, stated that enlargement of the government with the Serbian deputies conveyed a message that cooperation is the major condition for achieving normal life for the citizens.

”This is one of the successes that we jointly achieved over the past two years. I expect that the new government will be responsible and that it will take care of the citizens”, Minister Markovic said. He also stated that enlargement of the government in Bujanovac would enable a faster integration of the Albanians in the governmental institutions, as well as political stability. He voiced hope that the same would occur in Presevo.

Riza Halimi, MP, also expressed hope that the agreement would be signed in Presevo and said that establishment of the multiethnic government would induce the central government to more boldly proceed with the process of integration of the Albanians in the governmental bodies, as well as to work more efficiently on economic revitalization of the region.

Saip Kamberi, President of the Municipality of Bujanovac, said that the agreement enabled members of two Serbian political parties to get the positions of Assistant President of the Municipality, Deputy President of the Municipal Assembly, four members of the Municipal Administration, as well as managerial positions in several public companies and institutions, whereas it made it possible for the Albanians to get integrated in the governmental institutions.

The signing of the agreement was attended by Dimitrios Kypreos, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, who hailed the signing of the agreement on establishment of the multiethnic government in Bujanovac by saying that progress of key importance had been made.
  
„The Agreement of the Albanian leaders from Bujanovac to set up a coalition with their Serbian fellow-citizens for the purpose of governing the city is progress of major importance. I hope that this decision, which shows that constructive cooperation is, after all, possible, is going to get the attention it deserves. By this agreement, the most essential component of the last year’s Agreement on Reconstruction of the Coordination Body is implemented”, Ambassador Kypreos said.

”We appreciate the role that Minister Milan Markovic, President of the Coordination Body, has had in making this agreement possible and we encourage all political parties to make further steps in the process of integration of the Albanians in the governmental institutions, as it was envisaged in the 2009 agreement”, Ambassador Kypreos said.

The agreement provides one more basis for solving the vitally important issues of the Albanians, Serbs and Roma in Bujanovac.