Ljubomir Maric

The Serbian government has appointed Ljubomir Maric as assistant director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Tanjug learned from this Office.

Maric will deal with issues related to the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) in Kosovo, and with coordination of local self-governments in Kosovo.

Slavko Simic, the head of Lista Srpska, the ethnic Serbian party in Kosovo's coalition government, told Kosovo's public broadcaster late on Thursday that Jevtic had filed her resignation from the position of local government minister.

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic on Monday set a December 31 deadline for Kosovo Serb representatives to withdraw all harmful decisions if they want to take part in what is a unified policy of Serbs and Serbia in Kosovo-Metohija, said the head of the government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric.

The ethnic Serbian party in Kosovo's coalition government, Srpska Lista, on Wednesday stated that following a request from Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, it would again freeze its participation in Kosovo institutions.

The party also said that Mirjana Jevtic, who last week replaced Ljubomir Maric as Minister for Local Government, will resign from her post.

BRUSSELS - Kosovo Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government Ljubomir Maric unveiled in Brussels Thursday the steering team set up to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities.

The team is comprised of representatives of Serb municipalities in northern and southern Kosovo - Igor Kalamar, Dejan Radojkovic, Vinka Radosavljevic and Svetislav Durlevic.

BELGRADE - It is still unknown who set on fire the unfinished Temple of Christ the Savior in downtown Pristina. Office for KiM once again warns of the danger of growing Albanian extremism and chauvinism in the southern Serbian province.

The coordinator for the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) has said that "provocations can be expected from Albanian politicians."

According to Ljubomir Maric, who coordinates of a steering team set up for the establishment of the ZSO, "signals" about these provocations came from "political circles in Brussels and Washington."

Kosovo Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government Ljubomir Maric says the police in Kosovo are "on the highest level of alertness."

The reason, he explained on Thursday, are "the frequent attacks on Serbs and the fear of radical Islamists."

Kosovo's ethnic Serbian Minister of Local Government, Ljubomir Maric, on Tuesday said if no agreement is reached on the planned Association of Serbian Municipalities in the next round of EU-led talks, Kosovo Serb representatives will cease to participate in government.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Security measures have been stepped up in Kosovska Mitrovica following a series of incidents and heightened tensions over the past week, town Mayor Goran Rakic said on Friday.