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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Kosovo's independence nothing else but violent partition of Serbia

Belgrade/London, 19 November 2007

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic said today in London that in the event that Great Britain decides to recognise the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo's independence and approve violent partition of Serbia, it would destroy the Serbian people's trust in democracy and its values.

File photo of Vuk Jeremic

Author: Tanjug

In a speech before the UK parliament's House of Commons, Jeremic said that that would be a huge blow from which Serbia would find it hard to recover.

I would like to appeal to your sentiment of fair play and the feeling of honour. Our country, just as yours, is ancient, with ancient beliefs. And Kosovo is the cradle of our civilisation, the foreign minister underlined.

He asked UK parliament members to help find a compromise solution that will preserve Serbia's sovereignty and give to Kosovo Albanians a true chance to manage their own affairs.

Jeremic warned that imposing a solution that would damage the democratic survival of one side would bear influence on the future of the entire region, and underlined that Serbia offers to Kosovo Albanians a fair and just compromise which will assist the integration of the entire region into Europe. That offer favours the province's development and strengthening of the democratic value of all regional actors.

We offer a unique partnership under a common sovereign roof: institutionally unlimited autonomy with very broad powers of the self-government, but the autonomy which at the same time preserves our sovereignty and territorial integrity, the foreign minister highlighted.

He said that statements that Kosovo's independence would be imposed in case an agreement is not reached by December 10 have obstructed the negotiations because setting such firm deadlines favours only one side, and that is Kosovo Albanians.

According to him, a way out from that crisis is to look on December 10 as a deadline for giving an evaluation of the progress made and nothing else. By re-defining the meaning of this date it is possible to create a favourable climate for finding a historical solution, because in that way an encouragement would be given to both sides for the first time to reach a mutually acceptable solution, which would be in the spirit of the Europe of the 21st century.

Jeremic explained that if a compromise solution is reached, the essential principle of the international system, which was established in Europe through the Helsinki Final Act, would not be brought into question: otherwise, a precedent will be created based on which any country could be divided against its will.

Let’s not deceive ourselves. The independence of Kosovo-Metohija is nothing but a violent division of Serbia, stressed the Minister and warned that there are dozens of areas throughout the world with a situation similar to that of Kosovo-Metohija which are just waiting for secession to get legitimacy.

He emphasised that ongoing conflicts in the world may thus escalate, frozen ones may become active again and new ones break out.

Jeremic concluded that Britain, with its unique position in the world and the key role in Europe, must see the dangers of the policy that might undermine the renewal of institutions which should endorse “the new joint European enterprise.”

In his address to British MPs, he reminded them of Serbia and Great Britain’s alliance in both world wars, as well as the greater part of the 20th century, and stressed that Serbia shares Britain’s firm belief in democracy and Europe.

However, there is something amiss in our relations. A cloud of mutual alienation is looming over Serbia and Great Britain and the root of it is the memory of terrifying events in the 1990s and doubts stemming from them, said the Minister.

Jeremic reiterated that Belgrade is doing all it can to ensure that there is no war and misery neither for its citizens nor in the region and added that in the past seven years Serbia established democratic institutions, the rule of law and market economy, strengthened human minority rights, initialled the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU two weeks ago and is an active participant in the Partnership for Peace.

Serbia is also dedicated to reconciliation in the region, which it demonstrated by extraditing 42 indictees to the Hague Tribunal, among whom were four former presidents, one prime minister, three heads of the General Staff and one parliament speaker, specified Jeremic and stressed the Serbia is determined to locate, arrest and extradite the remaining few indictees still on the run.