Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Belgrade strives to preserve peace, stability in Kosovo-Metohija

Belgrade, 19 November 2008

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic last night stated that Belgrade will no longer discuss the deployment of the EULEX mission, since an agreement has been reached with the UN, backed by all UN members.

In a statement to the Radio Television Serbia Jeremic stressed that Serbia appreciates the international community’s efforts to convince Pristina that compromise is the only road ahead that can ensure peace and stability in the southern Serbian province.

As far as Belgrade is concerned, the talks have been concluded and finished. We have reached agreement with the UN and we expect it to be confirmed at the Security Council as soon as possible, the Minister said.

He noted that Belgrade will remain constructive and do all it can to preserve peace and stability while waiting for the next UN Security Council session to be scheduled.

He voiced hope that the six-item plan will then be confirmed, along with the definition of the international civilian presence in the province and the status-neutral stance Serbia has insisted on, adding that once the Security Council adopts that, a new stage of joint effort to preserve peace and stability in the region will ensue.

As for the decision of the International court of Justice (ICJ) to declare itself in charge of Croatia’s lawsuit against Serbia for genocide against the non-Serbian population in the period 1991–1995, Jeremic announced that Serbia will also file charges against Croatia for crimes committed in 1995 during Croatia’s operation Storm.

Unfortunately, Croatia has not responded properly to Serbia’s several peace offerings and the desire that we turn together to our European future, said the Minister.

According to him, Croatia has repeatedly refused to face up to the fact that 250,000 Serbs were banished from their homes in Croatia, but this time it will have to do so at the ICJ.

We will present our case at the court. We will have a look at all the events in the 20th century, both during World War Two and the period of the Croatian Independent State. We will turn to history to determine the truth for the sake of our joint future, stressed Jeremic.

Croatian officials claim that the truth must be found. We agree. We say let us find out what the truth is and let us bring this matter to the court of history and the court of justice. That is why we will offer them an opportunity to respond to Serbia’s charges of war crimes and ethnic cleansing committed on Croatian territory in 1995, he stressed.

Jeremic added that Serbia will do all it can to help improve good relations in the region.

Our joint future is a European future. For the sake of that there must be reconciliation. This may as well be the best way to do that. Let us finally determine the truth as to what really happened during operation Storm, concluded Jeremic.