CURRENT AFFAIRS

MINISTRY FOR KIM EXPECTS EULEX TO REMAIN NEUTRAL

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - The Ministry for Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) expressed its expectation that, after the appointment of the new EULEX head Xavier Bout de Marnhac who will assume office in October, the Mission will continue operating within the status-neutral framework. "We hope that the new EULEX leadership will succeed, in extremely complex circumstances, in using a balanced and moderate approach, like the one that characterized the mandate of de Kermabon," the ministry's statement reads. The ministry also expects that the new EULEX leadership will show readiness to continue the activities regarding the fight against organized and other types of crime. The ministry will continue insisting that EULEX should neither support nor resort to any type of unilateral actions that would violate the Mission's mandate and legitimacy or cause instability in the province. According to the statement, as long as the framework is respected, the ministry will be open to a partnership cooperation with the EU Mission as a legitimate international presence.