YouSaid · the spoken record

Covic

lines on the record: 88
first: 2002-04-24
most recent: 2005-05-27
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Our discussion today concerning the difficulties of implementing the standards clearly indicates that it is not possible to solve the issue of the status of Kosovo and Metohija in an accelerated fashion. I should also like to draw attention to incorrect and untrue views asserting that for some internally displaced persons, the fear of a lack of economic opportunities, not the fear of the lack of security, is the factor discouraging return. I therefore ask: Why should a person return to his house, farm or apartment unless he can be assured of surviving? If there are economic reasons preventing the return of Serbs, they are of secondary importance and easily solved. I must stress, however, that we cannot divert our attention from UNMIK's lack of activity on the main issue.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“I would not like my statement to lead to the removal of the KFOR presence, because there is no freedom of movement. We should all commit ourselves to solving this problem. We generally agree that the future status of Kosovo and Metohija can influence regional stability and trade, but a one-sided solution to the problem of Kosovo and Metohija would be a very poor compromise. That is a topic for discussion between Belgrade and Pristina. A compromise on the future status of Kosovo and Metohija would create the conditions for dialogue and free trade in the region and would be accepted by our neighbours as well. Of course, finding a peaceful, comprehensive and lasting solution takes time.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“The events of 17 March 2004 took place. And the consequences of the ethnic cleansing have not been remedied to date. Of the 4,500 persons who were internally displaced following 17 March, 1,600 have not yet returned to their homes. I have no intention of telling the Council nice stories with happy endings. I only wish to be realistic, whether the Council likes it or not. That is why I think the statement of the United Kingdom was incorrect and unfair. Please, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. With respect to the freedom of movement, the real test of whether there is freedom of movement comes when those people go back to their schools. What kind of freedom of movement is there when children need military escorts to go to school? Of course, we are grateful for everything UNMIK and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) have done.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“We have to ask ourselves why Serbs would enter institutions committed to the independence of Kosovo and Metohija. Thus, I call on officials of UNMIK and the international community to convince the Serbs that Kosovo and Metohija will not become independent and that the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Serbia and Montenegro will be respected. That way, Kosovo Serbs can be persuaded to participate in the institutions of Kosovo and Metohija. I wish to remind the Council that Kosovo Serbs participated in those institutions after the 2001 elections. They participated in 2002 and 2003, and through March 2004. The same old story went on again and again, and I had an opportunity to hear it. We were told to persuade them to enter the Provisional Institutions. We tried to do that. What happened in the end?”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Mr. Covic (Serbia and Montenegro) (spoke in Serbian; interpretation provided by the delegation): I thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to participate in the discussion. I just wish to address some of the points I have heard. It was said that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) can motivate the Albanians to engage in the decentralization process once the Special Representative convinces them that Kosovo will not be partitioned. We believe that is true. However, in that same way we can motivate the Serbs to participate in the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government by convincing them that Kosovo and Metohija will not become independent. But how are we to do that when, on a daily basis, those Institutions propose independence as a solution?”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Whether these road signs will lead the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities to a modern, democratic and multi-ethnic society and guide the region towards stability and its future within the European Union, without changing the internationally recognized borders, depends on all of us.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“According to the relevant indicators, Kosovo and Metohija is a long way from such implementation. However, should it be decided, in spite of everything, to commence talks on future status. those discussions would be burdened with the extremism of the Albanian leaders, who will perceive erroneously that the international community is yielding to their policy of ethnic cleansing. The issue of future status must be resolved through reaching agreements and finding a compromise, but, above all, in full respect of the basic international principle of preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. As a high-level official of a powerful country recently put it, the road signs to the future are being hurriedly put in place in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Should the report that was presented today be taken as the objective state of affairs in the field, it would serve as the basis for the very automatic action that has so far been resolutely ruled out as a possibility. If a formal evaluation based on this report commences - despite the fact that, realistically speaking, standards have not yet been adequately met - we hope that the new Special Envoy in charge of evaluating the progress achieved will demonstrate a high level of impartiality and personal integrity and that he will summon enough courage to present the situation in Kosovo and Metohija as it really is. It would be counterproductive to open the status discussions before the standards - the basic provisions of resolution 1244 (1999) - have been substantively implemented.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“We are currently defining modalities for participation in the work of the working group on decentralization - a working group we consider to be the most important indicator of the multi-ethnic character of the Provisional Institutions of Self- Government. We have also proposed the establishment of two more working groups for technical dialogue, a working group for privatization and a working group for environmental protection, but we have not yet received a reply. During all the discussions we have had recently with representatives of the international community regarding the pace of the process of finding a solution to the Kosovo and Metohija problems, we have been reassured that no automatism will be applied in this process and that concrete results in achieving our common objective have to precede every new step.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Although there has been no positive reply from Pristina, the invitation to a sincere dialogue, without any conditions, stands. It should focus on the very heart of the problem, because we believe that a direct dialogue is the only option if solutions are to be found to the problems faced by our citizens living in the province. We hope that the leaders of the Kosovo and Metohija Albanians will in this case, too, demonstrate a growing political awareness and readiness for dialogue. As we announced at the last meeting, we have reactivated the Working Group on missing and kidnapped persons, the Working Group on returns and the Working Group on energy, as agreed during the Vienna process, while the reactivation of the Working Group for transportation and communications is expected in the next few weeks.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“At this point, however, I would like to stress the cornerstone of the State policy of Belgrade: that State borders cannot be changed, and that, in the process of finding a solution to the future status of Kosovo and Metohija, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro cannot be questioned. We are ready to seek, in cooperation with all international actors and through direct dialogue with Pristina, a peaceful, comprehensive and permanent solution to the Kosovo and Metohija problem, which includes the full implementation of resolution 1244 (1999). The President and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia have extended invitations to both the President and the Prime Minister of Kosovo and Metohija for a direct dialogue.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“However, I will reiterate once again that by writing embellished reports that serve to satisfy those needs, a poor compromise is made for the Albanian majority. This will not be conducive to achieving a modern, democratic, multi- ethnic society - something we defined at the very beginning as our common objective. We therefore welcome the balanced approach that the Secretary-General has taken in his political assessment and recommendations. As always, the authorities in Belgrade are trying to facilitate the process of achieving this common goal of ours by adopting a constructive approach, and we stand united in our view that working towards a truly democratic and multi-ethnic society is the only path to follow.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“The most recent initiative regarding the establishment of the Kosovo Forum, meant to consolidate the Kosovo and Metohija Albanian leadership and to provide a framework within which they should prepare themselves for negotiations on future status, speaks volumes in favour of my claim. I would like to remind the Council that UNMIK is not present in the province to cater to the objectives and interests of one community only, regardless of the size of that particular community and regardless of the possible consequences of that community's dissatisfaction if its one-sided requests are not met. It is only human to want to show the success that has been achieved, and I can understand that. Likewise, I can understand the need of the international community to direct its attention and resources to other hotbeds of tension around the world.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“By making a politically sensitive request to obtain a special international dialling code, a special international code for Pristina airport, and through international visits by representatives of the Provisional Institutions without the presence of UNMIK officials and other similar initiatives, creating the impression internationally that Kosovo and Metohija is a completely separate entity, the interests and requests of only one community living in the province are being catered to, thus severely violating resolution 1244 (1999) and prejudging the future status of the province.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“I believe that the Council will agree that reports should not be written to satisfy only one side. But, leaving aside embellished reports on the "virtual reality" of Kosovo and Metohija, I would like to use this opportunity to point out yet another worrisome aspect of the activities of the United Nations administration in the province, which has a mandate to implement resolution 1244 (1999) impartially. Unfortunately, the steps that were taken recently considerably jeopardize the credibility not only of UNMIK but of the United Nations as a whole and call into question the impartiality of the role they should play in future processes.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“The report does not mention the fact that the Assembly and the Government of Kosovo and Metohija are not truly multi-ethnic, since no protection is provided for non-Albanian communities against outvoting. Kosovo and Metohija Serbs participate in those institutions in which they stand a chance of achieving goals related to their vital interests, particularly in those municipalities in which they won the last local elections. Nor does the report make mention of the illegal privatization of Serbian property, which continues in the absence of any strategy for an economic recovery or for finding solutions to the problem of high unemployment. The report does not reflect sufficiently on the problem of organized crime - a problem that even Albanian parliamentary parties point out as an evil that permeates all segments of life in the province.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“That would entail more energetic measures regarding the eviction of those who, threatening violence, are illegally using Serbian property. Further, it should be kept in mind that, of the 27,000 court decisions that have been handed down in the last six years on the restitution of usurped property to its rightful owners, only 300 have actually been carried out. The report should also have included data on 150 demolished, burned-down Serbian churches and monasteries, 60 of which, being sites of the highest importance, enjoy a high level of protection. While these holy sites await reconstruction, they are quietly being taken apart, brick by brick, and any trace of their existence is being destroyed.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in the past six years around 12,000 internally displaced persons have returned, 5,000 of whom are Serbs. However, despite the officially proclaimed support for returns that was expressed on several occasions, one more so-called year of returns is passing, and there are no results. Most of the activities of potential returnees more or less boil down to visits to their demolished, burned- down homes and desecrated graveyards. We sincerely hope that this year we will witness a transformation and that the representatives of UNMIK and of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government will agree to sign, with us, a protocol on organized returns which would break the deadlock, initiate the process and make it more efficient.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Allow me to remind the Council that the seat of the District Court is in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, and that the President of the Court and all other employees are members of the Albanian national community. They come to work every day with no problem whatsoever, and we sincerely hope that the same level of freedom of movement will soon be achieved for minority communities in all other parts of Kosovo and Metohija. The report should not have omitted mention of the fact that there are still 230,000 internally displaced Serbs and other non-Albanians who cannot return to their homes - not because they do not want to, but because the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and KFOR cannot guarantee their safety and freedom of movement.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“However, the report before us today notes significant progress and implies that the prescribed standards have been met or are in the final phase of being met. Such progress, had it really been made in such a short period of time, would no doubt be an amazing feat. Alas, the reality in Kosovo and Metohija is quite different. Regrettably, the briefing we heard today links the most important problems to the Kosovo and Metohija Serbs and to the Government of the Republic of Serbia and its authorities. In View of the fact that Serbs and other non-Albanians live isolated in enclaves precisely because their safety is jeopardized and there is no freedom of movement, the statement that freedom of movement exists in all municipalities in the province, except in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, is inaccurate.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Today's meeting, however, is of special significance. That is because, if talks on the future status are to begin on the basis of the report and the recommendations of the Secretary- General for launching a comprehensive review of the standards implementation, we have to have concrete and not imaginary progress in Kosovo and Metohija. Let us go back, for a moment, to the Security Council meeting in February and to the technical report presented on that occasion. I would like to remind the Security Council that the aforesaid report commented critically on and indicated the absence of results in achieving standards, particularly in the area of respect for the rights of the non-Albanian communities.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Mr. Covic (Serbia and Montenegro) (spoke in Serbian; English text provided by the delegation): It is my special pleasure to greet the members of the Security Council on behalf of the Council of Ministers of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and to express my pleasure at having this opportunity to participate in today's meeting on Kosovo and Metohija. I also thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report. We have just heard yet another technical briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General regarding the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. Every opportunity we have to inform the international community about the extremely difficult position of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities in the province is extremely important to us.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“We fully support a constructive approach but we also believe that any attempt to nominate individuals of questionable militant background is not a good way to proceed. It would make dialogue much more difficult. My concern is that by trying to nominate such people for these high positions, someone is trying to obstruct further resumption of the dialogue. We are more than interested in including the Serbs in the dialogue, but not as window-dressing, but in an efficient and constructive way. I would like to assure you that the international community and Mr. Petersen, like all his predecessors, will have full support from Belgrade in his efforts. However, I also urge you to bear in mind that Belgrade's situation is as complicated as Pristina's. I hope that by working jointly we will be able to make real progress for the whole region.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“The situation is extremely complex, particularly when some people are trying to deny that this is the Serbian religious heritage and some people are trying to call it something different. I hope that, working together, we will be able to rebuild those religious sites. As the Council is aware, we condemn in the strongest possible terms setting fire to the mosques in central Serbia. With regard to the way to proceed on cooperation, we must go back to the Working Groups. We must also raise the question of who will have the authority to decide whether or not there has been enough progress. It cannot be only the international community or the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, because, you understand, Kosovo is formally part of Serbia and Montenegro, so we must have a word in this.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“I am pleased that the Council finds the elections to have been a great success, but they were a failure from the ethnic point of View and I regret that fact. Belgrade could have urged the Serbs to participate in the elections, but I am afraid that the turnout would have been no higher. I encouraged them to participate in 2001, but I assure the Council that we would have been unable to repeat the performance this time. With regard to economic development, we are fully prepared to cooperate, but we urge the international community to implement a privatization process that is fair, fully respectful of property rights and implemented in an ethnically unbiased manner. With respect to the accusation concerning certain measures taken by the Serbian Orthodox Church, I assure the Council that the Church has always been most cooperative.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“I have seen and heard a great deal of comprehensive and constructive reports, but violence nonetheless erupted on 17 March. The situation in Kosovo is not good and we are eager to help the international community improve conditions there, but the cooperation must be reciprocal. We cannot accept the idea that everything that comes from Belgrade is not good because it comes from Belgrade. I will never hesitate to claim responsibility when there are solid grounds for doing so, but I cannot allow some people to misrepresent the truth unchallenged. If some say that stating the truth is taking the emotional path, then so be it. The fact is, some very bad things are happening under the protection of the international community. We are fully prepared to cooperate with the international community.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“We have fought very hard for Serb participation in those institutions. I must make it very clear that no Kosovo Serb has the right to participate in the creation of an independent Kosovo, but, after five years of stagnation and of being prevented from returning to its homes, the Serbian ethnic community has no reason to believe certain statements made by members of the international community. As to the future status of Kosovo and Metohija, the optimal solution will not be one that gives everything to one ethnic community and deprives another of everything else. Since I began working on the Kosovo issue in 2001, I have sat in on seven of these meetings. I have cooperated closely with Mr. Haekkerup, Mr. Steiner and Mr. Holkeri and am prepared to do the same with Mr. Jessen-Petersen, who recently assumed his new post.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“There will be no future for Kosovo and Metohija if over 200,000 people are prevented from returning to their homes. They have waited for the moment of return for almost five years now and I do not know which institution will end up paying the price for the fact that the twenty-first century has come but they have yet to do so. We fully support the idea of Serbian participation in truly multi-ethnic institutions in Kosovo and Metohija, and I believe that the Security Council has seen that in practice. The Serbs participated in the 2001 and 2002 elections; representatives of Kosovo Serb ethnic communities have been outvoted in the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government and have had to be escorted to the Assembly in armoured vehicles. This is not about obstruction or an unconstructive approach.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“Mr. Covic' (Serbia and Montenegro) (spoke in Serbian; interpretation provided by the delegation): I am duty-bound to make some additional remarks on certain issues that have been raised by representatives here. I am grateful for this discussion and wish to say, on behalf of the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, that we support the report of Ambassador Eide and consider it to be a very important document. Neither I, nor the Government of the Republic of Serbia, nor the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro has ever endorsed the idea of partitioning Kosovo and Metohija. We believe that the future of Kosovo and Metohija lies neither in partition nor in an independent Kosovo.”
2004-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5089 (2004) · source
“I profoundly regret that my hope cannot bring the children assassinated in Gorazdevac to life, nor can it comfort the crippled ones. However, there is one thing it can certainly do: it can keep the door of dialogue open for a bit longer.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“If the international community fails to eradicate the instability in a powerful and surgical manner and if the measures it undertakes are weak and insignificant, it will be responsible before history for a resurrection of fascism in one part of Europe and the creation of a monstrous mono-ethnic Albanian para-State in the territory that is legally recognized as part of Serbia - that is, Serbia and Montenegro - by United Nations documents. That would be to validate an act of violence by means of an act of violence. Let me bring this statement to closure by admitting that hope in me has not died. Otherwise, I certainly would have taken the floor today as the former President of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo and Metohija.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“And, fourteenth, officials of the international presence in Kosovo and Metohija who refrain from carrying out the aforementioned measures in the fight against inter-ethnic violence, terrorism and organized crime must be held liable for their actions and be adequately reprimanded. For all the proposed measures and standards, it is necessary to develop a clear plan of set and measurable tasks and responsibilities, specifying those in charge of their implementation. Similarly, it is necessary to set precise time frames, follow through on their realization and objectively assess the results accomplished.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Eleventh, in tackling security challenges in the province, such as organized crime, terrorism and so on, the security forces in Kosovo and Metohija must cooperate more closely with the security forces in the region, and with the security forces of Serbia and Montenegro in particular. Twelfth, Albanian political leaders must be urged to implement their formal support for returns, the democratization of society, the rule of law and inter- ethnic reconciliation by providing all necessary assistance to all citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, regardless of their ethnicity. Thirteenth, adequate measures must be taken against all officials of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government - regardless of their ethnicity - who do not provide full and public support for the aforementioned measures.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Time and again, its key members are implicated in crimes such as the bombing of the railroad bridge near Zvecan and assisting armed insurrection in Macedonia. Their very existence shows a certain hypocrisy: sorrow for the death of innocent Serbs, but unwillingness to tackle some of the root causes of the crimes. So long as that organization exists, true reconciliation will not be possible. Tenth, perpetrators of war crimes must be indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and extradited to the Hague, regardless of their present positions.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Seventh, the thorough and energetic disarmament of all citizens of Kosovo and Metohija must be carried out. Eighth, it is necessary to ensure that all countries take the same approach to the Albanian National Army (ANA), an organization which the Special Representative of the Secretary-General has proclaimed to be a terrorist organization. The ANA is variously defined as a liberation organization and as a terrorist organization. This could be very dangerous. It must be placed on the list of terrorist organizations, and international standards in the fight against terrorism must fully be applied to it. Ninth, in the light of the crimes committed by individual members of the Kosovo Protection Corps, a thorough investigation must be carried out, leading to its abolishment.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“They must be reorganized in order more effectively to address the problem of Albanian terrorist groups that are supported by organized crime. Fourth, KFOR and UNMIK must ensure, from the side of the province, the full protection of the administrative line between central Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija, in full cooperation with the army and police of Serbia and Montenegro. Fifth, international law enforcement officials must take the lead and be more efficient in investigating ethnically motivated crimes and in bringing their perpetrators to justice. Sixth, UNMIK and KFOR should provide for the full protection of witnesses, so that they can testify in court against persons indicted for criminal acts and in connection with organized crime. Citizens must be encouraged to testify against criminals without fear or ethnic bias.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“The following urgent steps need to be taken to normalize the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. First, the international Mission must send a clear message regarding its key objectives by implementing fully resolution 1244 (1999) and by building a multi- ethnic and tolerant community with a solid economic foundation and functioning provisional democratic institutions. Second, the international Mission has to ensure that the implementation of resolution 1244 (1999) is equitable vis-a-vis all parties and all ethnic groups, and that it does not favour one party or one ethnic group to the detriment of another. Third, the international security forces, if they are not expanded, must at least be kept at the current level. For purposes of prevention, their presence must have greater visibility and be better targeted.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“If we want to succeed, we must take vigorous and decisive measures that will lead to the fulfilment of the agreed objectives: the full and consistent implementation of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999), major progress in the return of internally displaced persons, and security and freedom of movement for all ethnic communities. Despite the commitment shown thus far by Belgrade and the Government of the Republic of Serbia with regard to the establishment of a functional multi- ethnic society in Kosovo and Metohija, we are legitimately concerned that Albanian extremists and terrorists will use all available means to prevent the fulfilment of these endeavours. Serbia has carried out all of the measures to which it has committed itself in order to bring the process of stabilization in Kosovo and Metohija to completion.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Albanian assassins have thus been silently amnestied and become untouchable; they have been made into national heroes. I believe that it is high time for the international community to look back and to evaluate the results of its own actions. We all must recognize, without any prejudice or fear, that the actions of Albanian extremist and terrorist groups represent the main threat to the stabilization of Kosovo and Metohija and to the region as a whole. Is the international community committed to justice and fairness at any cost? Is it truly determined to succeed in Kosovo and Metohija? The United Nations Mission, headed by Mr. Harri Holkeri, must now either accomplish what his predecessors have failed to achieve or acknowledge its defeat. In this difficult endeavour, Mr. Holkeri can count on our full support and assistance.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“If one reads carefully between the lines, one can discern that the following message is being sent to the officers of the international mission: "Think hard before you do anything. We are watching you. Any of you can be killed." Thus the staff of the United Nations Mission and all officers and personnel that are part of the international troops in Kosovo and Metohija have become hostages of Albanian extremism and terrorism. This disturbing outcome might have been avoided had the international community, immediately upon termination of the armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija and of the bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, applied the same standards in condemning Serbian and Albanian crimes. So far, with a single exception, only Serb perpetrators have been brought before the judges of The Hague Tribunal.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“I base this belief on the tragic fate of those Albanian leaders who paid with their own lives for their disapproval of such crimes. It is therefore clear to me why the majority of Albanians have remained silent and why only a few Albanians, mainly politicians, have faint-heartedly condemned these crimes, while at the same time recalling Serbian crimes of the past. UNMIK and KFOR have not done as much as they could have under these distorted circumstances. I am trying to understand the inertia of the representatives of the international community. I can understand it, but I cannot forgive it. An UNMIK police officer was recently assassinated, and numerous brutal attacks have been carried out targeting international peacekeepers.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Albanians who fled Kosovo and Metohija before Milosevic's regime returned to their homes in Kosovo and Metohija in a flash, rescued and assisted by the international community. The whole process was completed in just a few days. Serbs who fled Kosovo and Metohija have been advised not to return in groups but individually, due to reasons of security - or, to be more accurate - reasons of insecurity. At its current pace, the process of the return of Serbs and other non- Albanians to the province will take over 100 years. Albanians, who suffered terribly under Milosevic's regime and who could be our key interlocutors, are watching in silence the brutal retaliations being carried out by their extremists compatriots. I strongly believe that not all Albanians approve of this brutality and savageness.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Nevertheless, this brutal murder cannot but make us all wonder whether this massive effort by the international community will work, and if it can work. Are the forces of evil and of nationalism just too strong to be overcome? I appreciate the appointment by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of a special prosecutor to bring the perpetrators to justice. We will do all we can to help him. At the same time, we all must accept that crimes such as this one are not unique. They are part of a pattern of activity by a determined minority of the Albanian population, which seeks to drive all Serbs out from Kosovo and Metohija, and, of course, discourage any refugees and internally displaced persons from returning, in order to bring the ethnic cleansing of the province to completion. Is this an overstatement? I do not think so.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“From the time I was entrusted with the post of President of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo and Metohija, we have tried hard to cooperate with the international community and these institutions in the province, in a spirit of partnership and mutual confidence. Through the most recent escalation of terrorism - the wounding and murder of children - in addition to the daily intimidation and persecution of the remaining Serbs in the province, Albanian extremists and terrorists are sending a message to the new Special Representative of the Secretary- General: every single decision he makes that does not meet their expectations will result in fresh violence and in the destabilization of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Since peacekeepers arrived in Kosovo and Metohija following the bombing campaign of 1999, there have been 6,013 attacks against Serbs and their cultural heritage and property. One thousand and twenty-one Serbs have been killed in those attacks. Fifty-two sacred Christian relics have been destroyed in those attacks, including 10 monasteries and churches dating from the fourteenth century. Fifty-five other Orthodox places of worship have been damaged or desecrated. We in Serbia are determined to cooperate with the international community, not only in Kosovo and Metohija but also in the region as a whole. In southern Serbia, for example, we have jointly build a model of pacification and reconciliation.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“Mr. Covic (Serbia and Montenegro) (spoke in Serbian; interpretation provided by the delegation): I would like to thank the Security Council for responding positively to our initiative and for convening today's Council meeting on Kosovo and Metohija. We are gathered here today because of the hideous murder and wounding of innocent children swimming in a river near their homes in Kosovo and Metohija. The dead were killed only because they were Serbs, and in order to send a message to all Serbs now living in Kosovo and Metohija that they must leave and that there is no chance for reconciliation and the sort of multi-ethnic society that Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and all of us foresee. That massacre is by no means unique.”
2003-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4809 (2003) · source
“In this regard, the goal of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina is to ensure that the ongoing process of the establishment of good- neighbourly relations with Croatia and Yugoslavia takes place on the basis of mutual trust and assistance. We support full and open cooperation, in particular on such important issues as the struggle against the traffic in human beings, organized crime and terrorism. We in Bosnia and Herzegovina believe that regional cooperation is a key factor in the establishment of peace in the region and an indispensable element of our efforts towards European integration. I should like to thank Mr. Klein and the Security Council for all of their efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
2002-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4661 (2002) · source
“We are also endeavouring further to reduce military expenses and to effect further reform in the armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially with respect to the establishment of civil control over the armed forces, which is a precondition for Bosnia's accession to Partnership for Peace and to NATO. Bosnia and Herzegovina fully supports the universal implementation of the Programme of Action agreed upon at the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. Our relations with neighbouring countries are based on equality, full independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
2002-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4661 (2002) · source
“I would like to inform the Council that important progress has been made with respect to Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the Partnership for Peace and to NATO. We are also working actively to finalize the process of joining the World Trade Organization. We are currently working to fully and unconditionally fulfil our obligations under the road map, which will enable us to begin preparations for Bosnia and Herzegovina's admission to the European Union. The existence of a large number of mine fields is a tremendous problem for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is working to implement and strengthen the Ottawa Convention on landmines.”
2002-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4661 (2002) · source
“The achievement of peace, development and stability in this part of Europe is closely linked to the rebuilding and restoration of the infrastructure in this field. The Presidency supports the strategy of "First justice, then jobs, through reform" set out by the High Representative. Bosnia and Herzegovina therefore remains fully committed to cooperation with the High Representative, primarily through dialogue. As the old proverb says, "Agreement builds a house". Therefore, I would stress once again our readiness to reform the legal system, establish the rule of law, create economic sustainability and new jobs, promote the return of qualified young people from abroad, improve the educational system and promote scientific, educational and cultural cooperation with other countries in the region and in the world.”
2002-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4661 (2002) · source