Q:
A:
Only compromise solution for Kosovo-Metohija
New York,
14 December 2006
President of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Sanda Raskovic-Ivic said last night in New York that only compromise is a solution in the interest of peace and long term stability and this should be reached through agreement between the Serbian and Albanian negotiating sides.
Sanda Raskovic-Ivic
Author:
www.un.org
In her address to the UN Security Council Raskovic-Ivic warned that the province and the entire region will pay too high a price for any haste in reaching a solution.
We are firm in our conviction that there is a way out of the situation in which we all find ourselves today, stressed Raskovic-Ivic, and added that a stable solution can be based only on avoiding extreme demands and accepting a regional approach and compromise.
According to Raskovic-Ivic, in practice that means autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija with authority which not a single country in Europe or the world has yet provided to any region on their territory.
She pointed to the fact that the strategy of the Albanian side comes down to not participating in negotiations and Kosovo Albanians are calmly waiting to be presented with another Albanian state on the internationally recognised territory of Serbia.
Belgrade, the Serbian government and particularly indigenous Serbs in Kosovo, wish to reach a long term agreement with Albanians on coexistence, a joint life in a modern, democratic and decentralised state, said Raskovic-Ivic.
The international community should give support to and actively show that they want a stable and safe region, and that can be achieved only by establishing the rule of law, punishing crime and creating conditions for security and a normal life, she said.
Raskovic-Ivic stressed that Serbia, in resolving the Kosovo issue, with full confidence expects a crucial contribution by the Security Council in the spirit of previous documents adopted by it, above all the Resolution 1244 which unequivocally confirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
She pointed to the fact that it is perfectly clear that only a systematic, responsible and gradual process of negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija can lead to a viable long term solution.
According to Raskovic-Ivic, Serbia proposes an immediate resumption of negotiations in Vienna on finding a model for widest possible autonomy for ethnic-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija, with the participation of the EU.
At the same time, she pointed out that the security situation in the province is catastrophic. She presented the fact that 75 ethnically motivated attacks took place from August 15 to December 1, 2006, in which 23 Serbs were wounded, and many involved in these attacks have still not been identified.
Raskovic-Ivic said that up until October 24 2005, 260 inter-ethnic incidents were recorded, whose victims were solely Serbs, and since 1999 it has been impossible for 250,000 people to return to Kosovo-Metohija.
Speaking on the subject of Serbian religious and cultural heritage and religious freedom, she stressed that although Albanians declare that they support their protection, in practice they defile and rob Serbian holy shrines.
She warned that despite the presence of representatives of the international community, police and military, trade in drugs and weapons and smuggling channels of criminal and terrorist networks are thriving in Kosovo-Metohija.
Speech of President of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Sanda Raskovic-Ivic in the UN Security Council’s session in New York
(December 13, 2006)
Format: Real Audio Stream (32.0 Kbps). Newest version of Real Media Player available for download here.
We are firm in our conviction that there is a way out of the situation in which we all find ourselves today, stressed Raskovic-Ivic, and added that a stable solution can be based only on avoiding extreme demands and accepting a regional approach and compromise.
According to Raskovic-Ivic, in practice that means autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija with authority which not a single country in Europe or the world has yet provided to any region on their territory.
She pointed to the fact that the strategy of the Albanian side comes down to not participating in negotiations and Kosovo Albanians are calmly waiting to be presented with another Albanian state on the internationally recognised territory of Serbia.
Belgrade, the Serbian government and particularly indigenous Serbs in Kosovo, wish to reach a long term agreement with Albanians on coexistence, a joint life in a modern, democratic and decentralised state, said Raskovic-Ivic.
The international community should give support to and actively show that they want a stable and safe region, and that can be achieved only by establishing the rule of law, punishing crime and creating conditions for security and a normal life, she said.
Raskovic-Ivic stressed that Serbia, in resolving the Kosovo issue, with full confidence expects a crucial contribution by the Security Council in the spirit of previous documents adopted by it, above all the Resolution 1244 which unequivocally confirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
She pointed to the fact that it is perfectly clear that only a systematic, responsible and gradual process of negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija can lead to a viable long term solution.
According to Raskovic-Ivic, Serbia proposes an immediate resumption of negotiations in Vienna on finding a model for widest possible autonomy for ethnic-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija, with the participation of the EU.
At the same time, she pointed out that the security situation in the province is catastrophic. She presented the fact that 75 ethnically motivated attacks took place from August 15 to December 1, 2006, in which 23 Serbs were wounded, and many involved in these attacks have still not been identified.
Raskovic-Ivic said that up until October 24 2005, 260 inter-ethnic incidents were recorded, whose victims were solely Serbs, and since 1999 it has been impossible for 250,000 people to return to Kosovo-Metohija.
Speaking on the subject of Serbian religious and cultural heritage and religious freedom, she stressed that although Albanians declare that they support their protection, in practice they defile and rob Serbian holy shrines.
She warned that despite the presence of representatives of the international community, police and military, trade in drugs and weapons and smuggling channels of criminal and terrorist networks are thriving in Kosovo-Metohija.
Speech of President of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Sanda Raskovic-Ivic in the UN Security Council’s session in New York
(December 13, 2006)
Format: Real Audio Stream (32.0 Kbps). Newest version of Real Media Player available for download here.
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