The Serbs in the Kosovo enclave of Gračanica have yesterday decided to pay for the electricity they spent in the past two months.

Radio Gračanica says that a gathering of residents agreed that a lump sum of EUR 26 should be paid.

The Serbs would then continue to pay for the electricity they consume, however only under the condition that the Kosovo company in charge, KEK, does not require them to sign any contracts.

Those contracts "could later incur us unforeseeable damage", the local Serbs said.

State Secretary with the Ministry for Kosovo Zvonimir Stević attended the meeting, and said that it was the international community and the previous government that were to blame for the situation faced today by the Serbs living in the province.

"As the state's representative I will accept the citizens' position, and I will make an effort so that the Serbs' request is accepted to start payment of electricity bills but to postpone the signing of contracts until the problem is solved on the level of the whole system," said Stević.