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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia’s proposal does not imply return to Kosovo-Metohija’s pre-1999 status

Belgrade/Baden, 27 November 2007

Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic stated today at the talks on the Kosovo-Metohija future status in Baden that Serbia’s proposal of substantial autonomy for the province refutes the claims of Kosovo Albanians according to which Serbia wants to bring the province back to its pre-1999 status and prevent its economic development.

Author: Fonet

At the second joint meeting of the final round of talks between the Serbian negotiating team, representatives of Kosovo Albanians and the international troika of envoys, Samardzic said it is obvious that the claims of Kosovo Albanians that Belgrade wants political control over them by returning to the status Serbia had in Kosovo-Metohija before 1999 are unfounded.

He said that objections such as the one that the Serbian proposal is unrealistic because it does not enable the province’s economic development and prevents Kosovo institutions from accessing foreign investments and international financial institutions are also unsubstantiated.

Also groundless are claims that Serbia does not actually want to integrate Albanians. On the contrary, Belgrade is ready to integrate them as much as they are willing to do that, said Samardzic and added that statements regarding Belgrade’s lack of attention as to the European perspective of the province and the entire region are also unwarranted. Samardzic stressed that Serbia’s proposal has all the while been open for discussion and added that there are three legitimate interests without which the general aims of the solution proposed by Belgrade cannot be achieved.

These are Serbia’s interest to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty by retaining Kosovo-Metohija within its internationally recognised borders, the interest of Kosovo Albanians to govern their life independently without Serbia’s interference and the interest of Serbs to enable their survival and return to the province, ensure their national identity and live in a safe environment, said Samardzic.

He recalled that Belgrade advocates autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija within Serbia and under reliable international guarantees, which meets the general aims, realistic demands and the three abovementioned legitimate interests.

Belgrade proposes a general agreement with the UN as one of its signatories and guarantors.

Thus we will have permanent international guarantees and the international civilian and military presence would be desirable and useful for both sides. There would be no reasons for Kosovo Albanians to feel threatened by Belgrade under any conditions, explained Samardzic.

The Minister illustrated this with examples of the Oland Islands based on the decision of the League of Nations and Southern Tirol.

Belgrade’s proposal on the division of competencies for functional self-government contains the highest degree of the transfer of competencies to one portion of the territory known today, and Hong Kong gets the closest to this, said Samardzic.

The Minister added that this proposal advocates full independence of judicial, legislative and executive authorities in areas which are strictly in the jurisdiction of the province.

This is a much more liberal solution than that of the Oland Islands and Hong Kong, stressed Samardzic.