SERBIA CAN STOP DISTRIBUTING ELECTRICITY TO KOSOVO - OFFICIAL
BBC Monitoring International Reports - January 20, 2005

Excerpt from report by Belgrade-based Radio B92 on 19 January

(Announcer) There is still no answer to the question of when the Serb settlements which have spent over one month without electricity will have it connected again. Klara Kranjc reports. (Passage omitted)

(Kranjc) The Serbian assembly committee for Kosovo chairman, Dusan Prorokovic, has supported the attitude taken by the government and president (Boris Tadic) during UNMIK (UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo) head Soeren Jessen-Petersen's visit to Belgrade, when they refused to discuss any issue but that of the Serb villages of Lipljan and Batus getting electricity again.

Despite Jessen-Petersen's statements, Prorokovic has told B92's Index Finger show that the UNMIK head promised he would solve the problem that these Serb villages have with electricity.

(Prorokovic) I do not quite understand the people from UNMIK. They sometimes give contradictory statements. Of course it was said that he would do everything within his power to solve the electricity issue.

If someone has the exclusive right to dismiss politicians, ministers, to ban (interrupted).

(Reporter) Yes, but he will not do it (tackle the electricity issue). What then?

(Prorokovic) Well, if not, Serbia can always apply a somewhat unpopular measure, but which could be pondered.

(Reporter) What is it?

(Prorokovic) That is to stop distributing electricity to Kosovo-Metohija. Then a whole entity of 2m inhabitants will no longer have electricity.

Source: Radio B92, Belgrade, in Serbian 1600 gmt 19 Jan 05

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