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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo-Metohija may jeopardise OSCE fundamental principles

Belgrade, 10 March 2008

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Feodor Starcevic stated yesterday that the further development of events will depend on the stance taken by all 56 members of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on the illegal and unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo-Metohija.

At the opening of a conference themed "From Helsinki to Belgrade“, held on the 30th anniversary of the first CSCE meeting in Belgrade, Starcevic stressed that the stance of OSCE members will affect the further course of events, not only in the OSCE as an international organisation, but also when it comes to preserving the universal values of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.

He said that the Serbian government will never recognise the unilateral declaration of independence by interim institutions in Kosovo because that represents a violation of Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the beginning of ethnic-based divisions in the OSCE region, which could not have been expected after the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act.

The refusal by Kosovo Albanians to continue talks and reach a compromise has created a precedent that may have consequences for stability and safety in the OSCE region and beyond, warned Starcevic and added that the acceptance of such a precedent, which legalises the violent separation of a portion of a country’s territory without its consent, threatens to jeopardise the fundamental principles contained in declarations by OSCE members.

Starcevic also stressed that at this historic moment Serbia will use the options offered by the Helsinki process and only ask for that which is guaranteed to all OSCE members – the respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The two-day conference is being held on the 30th anniversary of the first Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which preceded the OSCE, held in Belgrade from October 4, 1977 until March 8, 1978.