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Disposition of EU mission impossible without UN Security Council decision

New York/Belgrade, 18 December 2007

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica criticised today announcements of EU officials that EU mission could be disposed in Kosovo-Metohija and without prior decision by the UN Security Council, noting that such move would represent serious violation of international law.

Vojislav Kostunica

Author: Fonet

After meeting with Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, Kostunica pointed out that disposition of EU mission in Kosovo is not possible without a previous decision of the UN Security Council and that international law exist to be respected, not to be violated.

Otherwise, a new epoch is there after which we can ask what happens with international legal order, the Prime Minister stressed and added that disposition of EU mission is not possible also because it is part of failed plan by Martti Ahtisaari and that their arrival in the province would be violation of Resolution 1244 from June 1999. Kostunica also said that he and Churkin confirmed the common position of Russia and Serbia that the epilogue of the negotiating process must be a new resolution of the UN Security Council although there are some indications that Western countries, led by the United States, are trying to avoid the most powerful body of the world organisation and recognise co-ordinately the unilaterally proclaimed independence of the province.

Speaking on tomorrow’s session of the UN Security Council, Kostunica said that Serbia will pledge for continuation of negotiations, that have not yielded result so far because of the negative approach of Kosovo Albanians.

Negotiations should not be time-limited, they should lead to a solution, and those who have doubts about such values can change their minds and should be persuaded in the opposite, Kostunica said and noted that those countries favouring independence are becoming slow in presenting their arguments. Kostunica, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic and Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic met today with Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis, and by the end of the day will meet with Italian Foreign Minister Massimo d'Alema, US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad and Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya.

Tomorrow, the Serbian delegation will attend the UN Security Council session dedicated to the report of the Contact Group's troika of envoys on the recently completed negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Upon arrival in New York, Samardzic told Tanjug news agency that at this session, Serbia will reiterate its firm stance that violation of international law will not be accepted, or any act that could harm Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Serbia will show its good will to continue looking for a compromise solution for Kosovo together with others through extended negotiations, the Minister said.

Serbia will not give concrete proposals on the format of possible negotiations, but it will advocate their continuation and this will be the subject of further discussions at the Security Council.

He said that Serbia will clearly present its stance that it will protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity by all diplomatic means available, adding that in this matter Serbia is supported by many countries.

In New York, we will renew our contacts with those countries and together with them try to convince the rest of the states that are against compromise and advocate violation of international law to abandon such position so that a joint undertaking of seeking a peaceful, stable and lasting solution could be continued, Samardzic underlined.