Joachim Ruecker last night said that Belgrade can only hold local elections in 5 majority Serb municipalities, but not on May 11, as the technical conditions do not exist.

Sven Lindholm, the UNMIK spokesman stated said last night that the UNMIK chief had sent a letter to Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardzic, saying that if the Serbian government wished to hold legitimate elections in Kosovo, it could do so in five municipalities with Serb majorities.

The UNMIK spokesman also did state that the UNMIK chief was prepared to speak with the Serbian authorities about the issue.
Lindholm said it is UNMIK that would have to organize them, if elections were to be held in Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Strpce, Zvecan and Novo Brdo.

According to the UNMIK spokesman, Ruecker has conveyed to Samardzic that only local elections under UNMIK’s exclusive jurisdiction could be considered legitimate.

Quoting the UNMIK chief’s letter, Lindholm said, “If the Serbian government holds local elections in Kosovo, they will not be considered legitimate, these elections are under UNMIK jurisdiction, and the Serbian government recognizes this through UN Security Council Resolution 1244.”

Lindholm said that Ruecker stated that the UNMIK mission, as far as parliamentary elections were concerned, would not assist, but that neither would it obstruct their organization.