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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Principled solution to Kosovo-Metohija issue must be found

Belgrade, 26 October 2007

Serbian Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac said in an interview for today’s edition of the Vecernje Novosti daily that at the meeting of defence ministers of southeast Europe in Kiev, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko stressed that an unprincipled solution to the Kosovo-Metohija issue might cause a domino effect which will jeopardise a number of countries of the former Soviet Union.

File photo of Dragan Sutanovac

Author: Tanjug

The Serbian government’s official web site gives excerpts of the interview.

On the meeting of defence ministers in Kiev:

Though the idea of the meeting was to enhance regional cooperation in the safety sector, the topic that imposed itself from the very beginning was Kosovo-Metohija. In bilateral meetings with defence ministers of Turkey, Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina and with commander of the NATO’s south wing Admiral Harry Ulrich we agreed that an imposed solution to the province’s issue will open a Pandora’s Box.

On the meeting with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates:

Having noted that Serbia has the greatest potential for defence, the US Defence Secretary told me he would be glad if we took part in peace missions with the US. However, we would have to have the approval of parliamentary majority and that is still impossible.

Does the Serbian Army have the capacity for that?

Our stance towards peace missions in the world will reflect the stance of the international community towards us. Afghanistan, Iraq and Darfur are the greatest challenges in the world and I think that the fact that around 15 of our officers are in African countries does not demonstrate properly the capacity we could offer to the international community.

Will the Kfor remain in Kosovo-Metohija after December 10?

All participants in the meeting concluded that nothing crucial will take place on December 10, as well as that after that date the presence of international forces will be necessary to maintain peace in the region. I also insisted on that. Naturally, some countries in the alliance would rather take part in operations with fewer problems, as is the case with Kosovo-Metohija, than in Iraq. Though we did not officially discuss it, the threat that a portion of American troops might retreat from Kosovo-Metohija and transfer to Iraq and Afghanistan still remains.

Do Kfor have a plan that could follow the resolution of the crisis in Kosovo-Metohija?

Our forces in southern Serbia are sufficient for keeping stability in that part of the country. However, the position of the Kfor is that they have forces for averting any escalation of violence in Kosovo and do not need the support of our army. That of course does not mean that we are not ready to offer every kind of help to the Serbian population in the province, if need arises and if we get the approval. Kfor is a big force and I am sure they will not allow that March 17 is repeated.

Security situation in southern Serbia: Unfortunately, I cannot say that there are no threats of destabilisation of this region. But we are doing everything to prevent that.

On frequent inspections of military barracks:

Those inspections are not done exclusively because of the search for Ratko Mladic. We want to be sure that no one is there without authorisation and I want to add to no inspection was made on the basis of a tip-off. Those inspections help me get a more detailed picture of the conditions of barracks, security measures etc... I do not have to read reports in order to see whether there are Hague indictees in them, because I am sure there are not.

Has Serbia’s position been getting more understanding recently? At all meetings that I had, my collocutors expressed understanding for our position. Even the Albanian minister of defence, who said that he disagrees with my opinions, also said he understands Serbia's position. I think that even those who advocate some solutions are aware that they are not in line with international law.