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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Recognition of Kosovo independence legitimises imposing solutions on ethnic conflicts

Belgrade, 17 March 2008

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic warned in an article which he contributed to today's issue of the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that recognition of Kosovo’s unilaterally proclaimed independence gives legitimacy to the doctrine of resolving ethnic conflicts by imposing solutions.

This revives the doctrine of limited sovereignty from the "cold war" era and gives legitimacy to the principle of violent separation from internationally recognised sovereign states, said Jeremic.

He said that this is contrary to the obligation to peacefully resolve disputes in Europe through negotiations. In that process, every ethnic group or religious community which has problems with its state is provided with a scenario for achieving its separatist goal.

Jeremic stressed that the time has come to examine the damage caused by the illegal secession of Kosovo and advocated a creative road to a compromise solution on the Kosovo issue.

It is not late for that because it is never late to create a successful future for all participants, said the Minister and added it is absolutely certain that trust must be re-established and values reaffirmed since that is the road that will lead to the renewal of the authenticity of the international legal system.

According to Jeremic, the international legal order, which after 1945 brought unprecedented progress to the world, is based on rules which must be applied without exception.

This particularly refers to the basic principles of international law, such as the sovereign equality of all states, respect for territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognised borders, explained the Minister.

He also voiced conviction that a unique, compromise solution for Kosovo should be sought, which would take into account the legitimate right of Kosovo Albanians to a broad self-government, and at the same time affirm a democratic Serbia, whole and free, integrated into Europe and connected to the world.

Jeremic said that according to expert analysis of the political situation in the world, the independence of Kosovo might be recognised by a total of 40 countries, and added that there are a number of arguments against recognition.

According to him, the arguments are based not only on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 from 1999, which affirms Serbia’s sovereignty over Kosovo, but also on the conviction that the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence renders the international legal system unstable, unsafe and unpredictable.