First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic talked today with Mr. Simon Henshaw, Principal Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State for population, refugees and migration. They discussed the issue of the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme for refugees and the settlement of the problem of internally displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija. Both sides reaffirmed the good cooperation between Serbia and the United States in the settlement of the issue of prolonged displacement in the Republic of Serbia.

Henshaw reiterated US support for the regional process of finding durable solutions for refugees and of the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme. He pointed to the necessity for overcoming remaining red-tape obstacles and transition to the next stage of preparations for the Programme implementation. It was confirmed that the United States would continue to donate, on an annual basis, funds necessary for the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme, and the belief was expressed that following the formation of the new Government, an appropriate person would be appointed at an appropriate political level, charged with the task of implementing the Regional Housing Programme in the Republic of Serbia. Furthermore, he pointed to the programmes that the US was implementing with regard to the internally displaced people from Kosovo and Metohija through support to the returnees and assistance to those wishing to reintegrate themselves in their places of resettlement, with particular emphasis on the specific problems faced by Roma as the most vulnerable internally displaced persons.

Minister Dacic highlighted the further large number of refugees from the region and the internally displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija in a prolonged displacement situation in the Republic of Serbia. He thanked the United States for its commitment to resolving the refugee problem in the region and for donating an additional $ 10 million towards the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme. He agreed that it was necessary to overcome obstacles related to red tape with the international partners and at the national level, in order to finally embark upon the specific implementation of the Regional Housing Programme in Serbia as the largest beneficiary, and he conveyed his conviction that these problems would be overcome soon. Minister Dacic pointed out that 15 years had passed without the creation of conditions conducive to the sustainable return of IDPs to Kosovo and Metohija, where less than 5% of IDPs have returned to date. Minister Dacic stressed the readiness of the Republic of Serbia to consider, in cooperation with its international partners, the modalities of solving the issue of internally displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija, including Roma as the most vulnerable category of this population.