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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Serbia to call for continuation of negotiations on Kosovo at UN SC session

Belgrade, 7 December 2007

Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic said today that a long search for a compromise solution for the status of Kosovo-Metohija is yet to begin and added that at the UN Security Council (SC) session which will be held in New York on December 19, Serbia will strongly advocate the continuation of negotiations.

In an interview to today's issue of Vecernje Novosti concerning a report to be presented by the troika of envoys to the UN Secretary-General, Samardzic said that that report should explain why 120 days of negotiations did not yield results and reiterated that the Serbian side was utterly active and willing to compromise, while the Albanian was completely passive and just waiting for the negotiations to end.

The official website of the Serbian government brings excerpts from the interview.

Is there any progress in the work of the troika of envoys in relation to Ahtisaari's mission?

– The troika advocated the beginning of a dialogue. The subject was the status, which was not the case in Ahtisaari's plan. But new mediators also did not make much effort to make Albanians truly negotiate on the status, and with this I refer to Frank Wisner and Wolfgang Ischinger. That is because the Albanian side got a clear signal from some world actors in this game that the final result of the negotiations will be independence. In such a situation, Albanians did not want to negotiate.

What do you expect after the New York session?

– The UN SC session is an opportunity for the Serbian side and we will use it fully. We will present all the facts and warn to dramatic consequences of possible one-sided solutions that will affect Serbia, Kosovo-Metohija, the region and the entire world. Every decision the UN SC makes in line with Resolution 1244 will favour Serbia. If member states act in line with it, it can be expected that talks will continue. Such an outcome is supported by Russia and China and several more UN SC member states.

Russia is on one side, and the US on the other - will the EU be the judge?

– The European Union is an important actor on the world scene which is not united on the issue of Kosovo. It is divided between an inert policy that keeps up with the position of the US and new winds that take into account international law and realistic consequences. At the moment the EU is under great pressure from the US. If it resists that pressure, and there is hope for that, the negotiations might be continued.

On sending EU mission to Kosovo:

– That is an obvious attempt to start with the implementation of Ahtisaari's plan by the back door. He is the one who proposed the EU mission, which is acceptable for Serbia only as surveillance of the substantial autonomy. The sending of EU mission to Kosovo-Metohija requires a new resolution. And there can be no resolution without the status, and no status without compromise.

On the statements of Albanian leaders that they will declare independence in coordination with international factors:

– That danger exists. There are many states that would support that, first of all the US, but there are many who would not. Albanians will not do that without the permission of the US which seems definite, but which is practically conditioned on sending the EU mission to Kosovo.

How would Serbia respond to independence?

– Serbia will never recognise Kosovo outside its territory and it will constantly do everything to restore the legal system in the province. In the long run, there would be more and more countries that would support Serbia. Serbia will not stand still, not a month or two, but all the time until the things are not returned in the international legal flows. The state is preparing an action plan for the case of unilateral proclamation of independence so that Serbs in Kosovo could continue to live normally in Serbia in all aspects of life.

Serbia's response to the states that recognise independence:

– We have prepared a series of responses, whose use will depend on the position of each independent state. I think that Russia will not stand aside. Russia would lead the international resistance movement against independence of Kosovo and make appropriate moves in the international policy. That club against chaos and anarchy would gather many countries that are interested in peace, stability and respect for the law.

Will the solution for Kosovo come soon?

– A finale is being announced all the time, but it is not coming. The future status cannot be resolved quickly. That can be only done by force, but what is separated by force will ask to be joined again. Kosovo-Metohija will be a lasting problem, no matter what other people wish. Any quick solution will be doubtable.

How will Serbia protect its people in the province in case of independence?

– If there is no violence they will continue to live as up until now. Their lives will be fully part of Serbia and they should not worry in that respect. We will increase investments to improve their lives. But in case of violence, Kfor and UNMIK civil mission are the ones in charge.

On consequences of Kosovo's independence to international order:

– That would be a green light to many communities, first of all in the region, which are not satisfied with their states to demand independence or to join their mother country. Kosovo-Metohija may stir up separatist ambitions in the Basque Country, Corsica, Scotland, Belgium. Probably already the next day there would be concrete separatists actions in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Pridnestrovie. There are also Kashmir and Sri Lanka and many more cases. That couldn't be controlled anymore.