EULEX Head Xavier Bout de Marnhac stated on Friday that it is very important for the ethnic Albanians and Serbs to talk with each other, and for the representatives of the international community in Kosovo to talk with both sides.

He stressed that EULEX Mission is interested in assisting when it comes to the future dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, but added that the dialogue itself is not part of EULEX's mandate.

Upon his first visit to the northern part of the ethnically divided Kosovska Mitrovica which is mainly populated with Serbs, De Marnhac pointed out that he intends to increase the presence of EULEX in the entire Kosovo, including the north, as well as the committment to the fight against organized crime and trafficking on both sides of the Ibar River.

I am certain that the two sides are connected. No one in Kosovo can expect the improvement of the economic situation and more jobs without a good framework of the rule of law, and EULEX is committed to strengthening that framework, he said.

Slowly but surely, by talking with all sides, EULEX will increase its presence and activities in the entire Kosovo, including the north, De Marnhac stated.

When asked about when local judges and prosecutors in the court in northern Kosovska Mitrovica can be expected to begin working, De Marnhac pointed out that this issue is related to the political environment, which is not a part of EULEX's mandate.