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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia open for negotiations on future status of Kosovo-Metohija

Belgrade, 19 February 2007

Member of the Serbian state negotiating team for future Kosovo-Metohija status talks and advisor to the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Simic said today that Belgrade is open for negotiations and that it will reject all parts from Martti Ahtisaari’s proposal that violate Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Simic told Tanjug news agency that the Serbian delegation, in accordance with the mandate entrusted by Serbian parliament, will elaborate all those elements that violate territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Serbia, i.e., that create prerequisites for creating another Albanian state in the Balkans in the territory of sovereign Serbia.

He explained that Belgrade will be against borders being under the control of province’s authorities, the province’s armed forces, the possibility for the province to conclude international agreements as well as against the province being the owner of Serbia’s property.

According to him, the Serbian delegation will be against Kosovo-Metohija having a complete constitutional legal system unrelated completely with the Serbian constitutional system, that Serbs in the province are treated as a national community and not as a constitutive people, that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) is treated as church that is not connected to the whole of Serbia, for the wholeness of the Serbian people, but has some other authority in the province.

We will defend those interests that are related to our platform, Simic stressed and recalled that this document envisions Kosovo-Metohija as Serbia’s integral part, but with substantial autonomy.

All that is related to substantial autonomy will be disputed from our side, Simic stressed noting that parliament’s Resolution bounds the Serbian delegation to such a stand.

He said it would be good if the upcoming meeting in Vienna is organised in the form of negotiations, and stressed that if the organiser decides to hold consultations, then it will be obvious that someone wants to bypass not just Serbia, but also wishes to bypass the UN Security Council.

The key factor is whether we will have room for negotiations or not, or will it be just a pretence to deceive the international community and domestic public, and Ahtisaari will announce that compromise is not possible, in order to approach the Security Council as soon as possible, said Simic.

He said that any attempt at approaching the Security Council without compromise is in fact an attempt to avoid reaching a solution because it is obvious that the Security Council will not accept any solution which is not acceptable to both sides.

Simic stressed that the state negotiating team is unified and well prepared for the meeting in Vienna, and reiterated that Belgrade is open to negotiations, which is in keeping with the spirit of recommendations by the EU, by Russia, the Contact Group and in accordance with the wishes of the international community.

If the stand taken by Serbia thus far is validated, if there is a will to uphold the Constitution of Serbia and the will of the nation expressed through the Resolution adopted in Serbian parliament, then negotiations will bring some results, concluded Simic.