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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Independence of Kosovo-Metohija unacceptable for Serbia

New York, 27 September 2007

Serbian President Boris Tadic said today in the UN headquarters in New York that Kosovo's independence is unacceptable for Serbia and reminded that only the UN Security Council can make a legitimate decision on the status of the province, at the same time calling on Kosovo Albanians to engage in the renewed negotiations without prejudicing the outcome.

Boris Tadic addresses the 62nd UN General Assembly session

Author: EPA

Addressing the 62nd UN General Assembly session in New York, Tadic said that Belgrade, proceeding from the firm position that the independence of Kosovo was unacceptable for Serbia, offered to Kosovo Albanians special rights and jurisdictions, for the autonomous development of their community within the borders of the Republic of Serbia.

While defending Serbia’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Serbian negotiating team offered a European-based decentralisation model, which would efficiently defend the interests of Kosovo Albanians, but also of the imperiled Serbian, as well as non-Albanian ethnic communities in the province, Tadic said.

He stressed that Serbia was offering solutions that with mutual consent, while applying European values and rules, would in lasting manner resolve the long standing ethnic conflict, open the prospect of reconciliation and life together inside a modern, democratic and European Serbia.

Serbia is ready to reach a compromise, but insists on the respect of its legitimate state and national interests and the specific needs of the endangered Serbian and other communities in the province, who have witnessed exodus, such as the Romas and Gorani, Tadic said.

Tadic reminded that since 1999 more than 200,000 Serbs had left Kosovo, and that up to this date, according to UNHCR data, only 7,100 have returned.

Today the negotiations are conducted under the Contact Group umbrella, but a legitimate decision over the status of Kosovo can be made only by the UN Security Council. Only a decision by that institution is considered as grounded in international law, he told the UN General Assembly, the President underlined.

Tadic added that democratic Serbia, while insisting on respect for its territorial integrity, is committed to reaching a solution by diplomatic, legal and peaceful means and that is why it will not accept the threat of resorting to violence by the other side as an argument in the negotiations for redrawing the borders of legitimate democracies and nullifying the norms of international law.

That is why Serbia is consistently warning of unforeseeable consequences of such an unprincipled and dangerous policy, and remains committed to seeking a peaceful and compromise solution by way of dialogue, while fully respecting the UN Charter, the President noted.

He also warned that any unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo on December 11 would change the international legal order and incite separatist movements in the world to use the newly-set precedent.

That is why we call on the legitimate representatives of Kosovo Albanians to engage in the renewed negotiations, without prejudicing the outcome, aimed at reaching a compromise solution acceptable to both sides, which would lead to long term Serbian-Albanian reconciliation, Tadic said.

Author: EPA

The President reminded that Serbia is chairing this year the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers and in that capacity was trying to make its maximal contribution to promote democracy, protect human rights and the rule of law, being the fundamental values of the oldest pan-European organisation.

Serbia's strategic interest is to become a member of the EU, Tadic said and explained that Belgrade was making efforts to become a candidate for full membership by the end of 2008.

Serbia is also engaged in the process of Euro-Atlantic integrations, in the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme, whereby it is clearly accepting European values and showing a readiness to develop in keeping with the top European standards, he said.

Confident that a European prospect of the whole Western Balkans was the most efficient way to stabilize the situation and step up the development of all countries in the region, Tadic reminded that the issue of war crimes is unfortunately still burdening the relations of countries in the Balkans.

Serbia is doing everything in its power to locate, arrest and extradite to the Hague tribunal those indicted for war crimes, whereby it is demonstrating a full commitment to successfully completing cooperation with the ICTY, Tadic underlined and pointed out that was an international obligation and something we owe to ourselves, but also to our neighbours.

Tadic, speaking about the engagement of our country in the resolving of global problems, notably through regional cooperation, reminded that Serbia last year hosted a regional summit dedicated to combating terrorism, organized crime and corruption, and that it participated in the joint military exercises with the Romanian and Bulgarian armies.

Serbia firmly believes that the UN remains an irreplaceable authority and a mechanism for preventing crises and resolving conflicts, and as a responsible member of the international community and international organisations, it fully respects the UN Charter and the international-legal order established by it, the President concluded his speech.

The third direct meeting of Belgrade and Pristina delegations will take place tomorrow in New York as part of the negotiating process on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija mediated by the Contact Group’s “troika” of envoys from the EU, US and Russia, Wolfgang Ischinger, Frank Wisner and Alexandar Bocan-Harchenko.

Tadic is leading the Belgrade negotiating team, along with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, in the direct negotiations on the Serbian southern province.