YouSaid · the spoken record

Dačić

lines on the record: 136
first: 2013-11-19
most recent: 2023-04-27
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“What Serbia has experienced since 1998-19999 may befall any other country in the world. At the same time, I call on the countries that use their statements in this organ to call for the violation of its legally binding resolutions not to do so. Let me repeat: under resolution 1244 (1999), adopted in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, Kosovo and Metohija is part of the Republic of Serbia, under interim administration by a United Nations mission. The resolution continues to be the valid legal basis of the administrative regime in Kosovo and Metohija, which can be changed only by the adoption of a new Security Council resolution, which has not happened thus far.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Bear in mind that support by the international community is of key importance for success in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, one of few successful examples of the peaceful settlement of disputes in the world. Change in the position of States that have not recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo would affect negatively the continuation of the constructive attitude of the parties in the dialogue and the implementation of the agreements reached so far. That is what we ask for: an opportunity for dialogue and agreement in full accordance with international law, instead of unilateral acts and disrespect for the norms of the international legal order. Let me recall that international law is universal and that it applies to all, which is true also of its violation.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“We shall work in good faith on resolving disputes peacefully, well aware that a long process lies ahead and that - to make things worse - we often lack an interlocutor to share with us a vision of a prosperous and politically forward-looking region. I therefore call on the countries that have not recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo to persevere, despite the pressures that many of ythem are exposed to, as part of their consistent respect for international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the supreme authority of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security, including resolution 1244 (1999), which upholds the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“We shall continue the policy of the peaceful settlement of conflicts by addressing the normalization of relations responsibly and implementing the agreements reached in Brussels fully. The question of Kosovo and Metohija transcends the issues of territorial integrity and national identity. It is the tipping point that will define, long-term, the Serbian-Albanian relations, on which the stability and economic prospects of the entire region depend. Irrespective of the frequent lack of constructiveness on the other side, we shall continue to work arduously on strengthening relations, building confidence and promoting European values and perspectives for both peoples. We do not want the situation in Kosovo and Metohija to be a latent threat to the stability and progress of Serbia and the region.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Security in Kosovo and Metohija has always been unstable. The radicalization of the political climate and the worsening ofthe security situation because ofthe rise of political and religious extremism only increased the instability. The report in front of us contains references to fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant who come from Kosovo and Metohija. With respect to the size of population, the Kosovo and Metohija Albanians account for the largest percentage of those fighting in the ranks of that terrorist organization. It is unnecessary to speak about the troubling consequences of that situation. In the interests of regional stability and ever-better Serbian-Albanian relations, the Republic of Serbia will continue the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Short of that, all attacks and other criminal offences against Serbs are depersonalized and reduced to statistics. The ultimate and most dangerous consequence of such an approach is gradual acceptance by all, including the international community, of virtual impunity for criminal offences committed against the Serbs and other non-Albanians, including murder. Pristina's ban on the import of Serbian language textbooks into Kosovo and Metohija shows the extent to which Pristina is prepared to go to deny the Serbian community their rights. That practice also existed before, albeit sporadically, but the confiscation of all books in the Serbian language became a regular practice at the beginning of June when the St. Vitus Day Book Fair, scheduled to take place at Graeanica from 15 June to 1 July, had to be cancelled.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“To do so, however, elementary conditions in places of return regarding personal and property security, infrastructure and access to public services must be fulfilled. In that sense, I salute the call made in the report to the leaders of all sides to refocus on safe and sustainable returns of internally displaced persons. What all the reports of the Secretary-General, including this one, have in common is the failure to characterize the incidents in Kosovo and Metohija as ethnically motivated. The report says, in one short sentence alone, that 86 incidents affecting members of minority communities were reported during the period under review; most of the victims were reported to be Kosovo Serbs. Not a single other word appears at all. An account of the reaction by relevant police, prosecutorial and judicial authorities is missing.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“The spreading of the misinformation primarily served the purpose of seizing space in downtown Pristina Where the Church of Christ the Saviour and the land are located, but also to discredit the Serbian Orthodox Church. And just to recall: the Church has never been completed; the Pristina authorities turned it into a public lavatory and a podium to shoot music videos featuring scantily clad singers, which is telltale evidence of Pristina's attitude towards the Serbian cultural and religious heritage. The returns realized thus far attest to the fact that all the actors involved have failed the return process. It behooves all of us to change that and create conditions in which displaced persons will be given the choice of return or local integration, not only in words but also in deeds.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“The Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Pristina said on 14 June that a witness had come forward who testified that excavations had been carried out 12 and 13 June 1999 and that there is reason to believe that the bodies of Kosovo and Metohija Albanians were buried at that location. At Belgrade's request, excavations were undertaken on two occasions, on 13-14 and 27 July this year. The excavations were attended by Kosovo representatives alongside officials from the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and representatives from Belgrade. It was established that there were no human remains or graves at the location.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“A tedious regurgitation of partial statistics related to the assaults on the life, security and the property of the Serbs and other non-Albanians is tantamount to casting a shadow of relativity on their civilization fipersecution on an ethnic or religious basis that is unacceptable. The numerous cases of desecration, destruction and attacks on Serbian cultural and religious sites and the spreading of falsehoods, such as the one that mass graves are located next to the Church of Christ the Saviour in Pristina, are also unacceptable. Those fabrications have been spread for years now.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Let me mention just some of them, including the administrative, institutional and legal obstacles to returns and the lack of security for the internally displaced persons to integrate locally in central Serbia -which is not the result of a conscious choice, but of the absence of any other alternative. The question of returns is inseparably linked to the protection and realization of the property rights of the Serbian population, including internally displaced persons. The self-defeating fact is that sustainable returns have been realized only by some 4,000 persons, or 1.9 per cent.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“All along, however, the following fact is glossed over, namely, that a census engineered by Pristina, one politically motivated, is unacceptable for a number of reasons. Such a census could hardly be used to improve the situation of the Serbs. After all, the situation could be improved even without a census if goodwill alone existed. And the incorporation of the sections on the rule of law and human rights under one heading glosses over the issue of the human rights of members of the minority communities. To note simply that the level of returns is unacceptably low is not good enough; concrete reasons are needed to explain why the situation is so worrisome.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Disregard for the human rights and the problems encountered by the Serbs and the members of other communities, especially the Goranci, south ofthe Ibar River serves to amplify their feeling of isolation, neglect and hopelessness. The manner in which the concept document of the Kosovo authorities relating to returns is mentioned in the report creates a fictitious picture that Pristina is doing something serious in that regard. However, past experience gives us cause to believe otherwise. The absence of credible census data is invoked as a reason, or an excuse, for a whole range of concrete problems, from returns to the failure to adopt budgets in the four municipalities in the northern part of the province.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Instead of being the central issue to be implemented as soon as possible, its establishment has been the subject of political blackmail. After all, the United States Vice-President Biden also said during his recent visit to Belgrade and Pristina that it was necessary to establish the association/community of Serb majority municipalities expeditiously as a condition for the process of regional stability and reconciliation. I have to note that this report makes no mention of the situation of the Serbian and other communities south of the Ibar River either, where the majority of the Serbs of Kosovo and Metohija live. In doing so, I would like to emphasize that not all problems are, nor can they be, related exclusively to the area north of the Ibar River.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“It appears to be reduced to an administrative item; and it is fleetingly referred to in paragraphs 18 and 19 of the report. As is known, the association/community has not yet been established. Let me recall also on this occasion that the quest for an agreement in Brussels was motivated by the urge to find a way to protect, systematically and institutionally, the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija because of the non-existence of proper institutional mechanisms to effectively protect its interests. Under the Brussels Agreement, it is precisely the association/community of Serb majority municipalities that is charged with that task, which substantively builds on Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Let me now turn to the report (S/2016/666) of the Secretary-General. The current and every future report of the Secretary-General on the work of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) should be also viewed in that broader historical context, which attests to the complexity of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, and may contribute to a better understanding ofthe genesis of this question. The report before us has been structured somewhat differently from previous ones. It introduces new sections - on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina and on partnership and cooperation, for instance. In the part related to the normalization of relations, the importance of the association/community of Serb majority municipalities is presented inadequately.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Remember, the latter figures are drawn from United Nations statistical data, published in United Nations documents. Today there are only 27 persons, which is 400 times fewer. What else can I say? Any comment seems to be vacuous in the face of this truth, these statistics and these facts. But we will let the representative of Pristina engage in her propaganda; no doubt she will. However, I want the Council to realize that what I have shown is a realistic picture of the Serbs living in Kosovo. After all those events and centuries of problems in Kosovo and Metojiha, the situation today is that the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs has practically occurred. We are not even comparing statistics for the last one or two hundred years. We are comparing the results of the 1981 census that counted more than 40,000 Serbs living in Pristina.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“In Urosevac in the year 1981 there were 18,285 Serbs, and in the year 2011 - listen carefully - there were just 32. That is 600 times fewer people. In 1981, 17,791 Serbs and Montenegrins lived in Pee, and in the year 2011 just 332 Serbs lived there. The town of Pee is where the Serbian Orthodox Church was established in the thirteenth century, and the Patriarchate of Pee, which is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, is also located there. In the year 1981, 1,898 Serbs lived in Bakovica; today just 17 Serbs live there. In Podujevo they numbered 2,242; today there are 12, almost 200 times fewer. In the town where I was born, Prizren, the fourteenth century throne of Serbia, there were 11,651 Serbs living there in 1981, and by 2011 just 27 of them remained, according to United Nations statistics.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“The data I shall present are not from Serbian sources; they are drawn from the 1981 census at the time of Tito, before Milosevic, and from the census taken in Kosovo by the Pristina authorities in 2011. Pristina, as the Council is aware, is the seat of the Pristina authorities and the largest city in Kosovo. In 1981, just 35 years ago, there were 43,875 Serbs living in Pristina, and according to the 2011 census there remained just 430 - only 430. Therefore, 35 years ago there were 43,875, and now the number is 430. If one can count and deal with numbers, that is 100 times fewer people. In 1981, 140,043 Albanians lived in that city, and in the year 2011 the number ofAlbanians grew to 194,953. What kind of genocide or ethnic cleansing of Albanians can be demonstrated here?”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“I would like to warn the Council in advance to expect propaganda and lies. The basic definition of genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing is that of the destruction or expulsion of a population. Serbia's representatives are on record as stating, millions of times, that each and every crime should be punished. However, history has failed to record a genocide after which those people who allegedly committed genocide have dwindled to 10 times fewer than before, while the number of people against Whom that genocide was allegedly committed has grown substantially higher than before. I would like the Council to remember that out of 427 localities, the Serbs have been expelled from 311. That is indeed ethnic cleansing of Serbs, however. The statistics make for disturbing and painful reading.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“On the basis of his hastily cobbled together assessments about Radek, a decision was taken to bomb Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Today, 17 years later, William Walker is considered an honorary citizen of Albania, a hero of Kosovo, on whom Pristina has awarded multiple decorations. William Walker is one of the few people who openly oppose the establishment of an expert court to try the crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army, the establishment of which has been supported by the Security Council. He recently stated on Albanian television's top channel that he supports the idea of a greater Albania, that is, the unification of Albania and Kosovo. Ms. Citaku will presumably again speak about genocide and ethnic cleansing; however, that is simply the propaganda that she typically indulges in at Council meetings.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“It is clear that systematic nationalism and separatism are at work in Kosovo and Metohija, the ideological backbone of which has, for years, been the League of Prizren, founded in 1878, which had the single goal of unifying all territories in the Balkans populated by Albanians into one State, bringing into question the territorial integrity not only of Serbia, but also of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece and other countries in the region. Unfortunately, it is patently obvious that some individuals, countries and international organizations have played a role in that regard, as revealed by the example of William Walker, former Head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Kosovo Verification Mission.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“One of the mantras always repeated by all representatives of Pristina is that Kosovo and Metohija Albanians were loyal and good citizens of Yugoslavia before Slobodan Milosevic took over the reins of power. That contention is simply another historically unfounded fabrication propagated throughout the international community in order to win support for the separatism and ethnic cleansing systematically conducted in Kosovo and Metohija over the past 100 years.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“In addition to Vokrri, other Kosovo and Metohija Albanian footballers have played for Partizan, some of whom are legends in that club. Does it sound believable that a player, allegedly abused, beaten and discriminated against simply because he was a member of a national minority, would play for the national team and a major club from the capital of that country for years? Some Council members are, I suppose, surprised, if not astonished, to hear such facts, considering what was heard at the previous Council meeting. Nothing can surprise me now, and I am expecting to hear, in a few minutes, new falsehoods, new lies, new propaganda outbursts.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Surely, the most Widely known club from the southern Serbian province is the Pristina Football Club; its golden era was the mid-1980s when it competed in Yugoslavia's Federal League I. Pristina's best player ever was Fadil Vokrri, the current President of the so-called Football Association of Kosovo. That very same Fadil Vokrri decided in 1986, when he finished his season with Pristina, to join no other club but the Partizan of Belgrade. Not the Partizani of Tirana, but the Partizan of Belgrade, where he played for three full years, while, incidentally, Slobodan Milosevic was in power. During that period, Fadil Vokrri won caps 12 times while playing for Yugoslavia, and in a match with Flamurtari of Albania, he scored a goal and was voted the best player of the match. He says today that he still supports Belgrade's Partizan team.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“At the previous meeting (see S/PV.7693) of the Security Council on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, on 16 May, in addition to other fabrications, we heard that Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija were denied the right to play and that Albanian youngsters had been beaten and arrested by the Serbian police just because they were playing football. An uninformed listener might have thought that what was being described was a scene in a territory controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The next image he could have conjured up was that of a public execution of players on the sports field. As in most countries in the world, football is the most popular sport in Serbia.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Presumably, members of the Council are not familiar, nor can they be, with all of the details, especially the minute ones, and all the facts relating to each and every problem that they are called upon to resolve. That puts an even greater obligation on those who come before the Council to present only true facts - facts that they have checked. Serbia's representatives have always made every effort to address the Council in a constructive manner, as they wish to contribute to the process of reconciliation and to the stability of the region, as well as to the dialogue conducted in Brussels. Pristina's representatives, however, continue to overload the Council with falsehoods and lies, and lately they have even engaged in outright propaganda.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“Mr. Dacic' (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; English text provided by the delegation): At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Zahir Tanin, for presenting the report (S/2016/666) of the Secretary-General and to congratulate the President of the Security Council for his successful stewardship of the affairs of the Council during the month of August. I also extend my greetings to all the members of the Security Council. The members of the Security Council deal with issues that pose security threats as they strive to fulfil the principal task entrusted to them by the Charter of the United Nations, namely, safeguarding of international peace. In doing so, they often encounter problems whose causes date back decades, even centuries.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source
“We believe that the commitment to European integration is the principal driving force behind the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. We expect the European Union to continue its active engagement in, and facilitate our dialogue, with Pristina. I would like to address a call from this Chamber to the political leaders in the province to invest efforts - now that conditions have been created by the ending of the stalemate of the political process in Pristina - to continue the dialogue, primarily in the interests of the population of Kosovo and Metohija. The Government of the Republic of Serbia will certainly maintain its active engagement in the implementation of the Brussels Agreement in the interests of peace and economic progress and reconciliation.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“In conclusion, let me point out once again that the quest for a lasting and sustainable peace in Kosovo and Metohija is the national priority of Serbia. We can arrive at the solution only through negotiations and dialogue with the PISG in Pristina, fully respecting the legitimate interests of the Albanian, Serbian and other populations in Kosovo and Metohija on the basis of resolution 1244 (1999). The solution to the question of Kosovo and Metohija must be in the interests of our citizens, who should be enabled to live in normal conditions, while a safe life together for all communities should be made possible. In arriving at a solution, we must achieve mutual reconciliation. That will process will certaily be helped by the adoption of European standards and values as the entire region moves towards the European Union.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“This is important, first and foremost because of the families of these persons and as a contribution to the process of inter-ethnic reconciliation in the province. To that end, our expert teams cooperate with UNMIK and EULEX, as well as with the competent bodies in Kosovo and Metohija. The process of inter-ethnic reconciliation is incomplete without the trial of the former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army responsible for the persecution of Serbs, Roma and other non-Albanians, as well as their political opponents among Kosovo and Metohija Albanians. We expect that necessary conditions will be created to try former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“I expect that, within its mandate, EULEX will continue to carry out its executive competencies in the area of the rule of law, in view of the real assessment of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija in that regard. I take this opportunity to commend the efforts made in the investigation of the allegations contained in the report of Senator Dick Marty on the inhuman treatment of people in the illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo and Metohija. I welcome the reference in the report before us on the need to urgently establish the specialist court to try cases arising from the finding of the European Union Special Investigative Task Force. Serbia is committed to the process ofreconciliation. We consider that an important way to confront our own past and, in that context, to establish the fate of missing persons.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“The chaotic situation in thejustice system ofKosovo and Metohija is borne out also by the trial of the former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army charged with the commission of war crimes in the detention centre in the locality of Klecka. Additional suspicion about the impartiality of the Kosovo and Metohijajustice system is raised by the case of Oliver Ivanovic', a political leader of the Serbs who remained in custody for a year before his trial began. The current situation in Kosovo and Metohija bears out our assessment that conditions have not yet been fulfilled, under resolution 1244 (1999), for a full transfer of competencies to the PISG. That these functions have been entrusted to EULEX does not diminish the powers and responsibility of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“It is with regret that we note that the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija reflects, in part, the lack of adequate professional capacities on the part of the PISG. In its Kosovo Progress Report 2014, the European Commission expresses serious concerns regarding the independence, accountability and impartiality of the justice system in Kosovo and Metohija. The report also points to the need for more concrete results in the fight against organized crime, corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. In reporting on the work of first-instance courts in its Justice Monitor report for the first half of 2014, OSCE points to shortcomings such as poor or no translation provided in cases involving members of non-majority communities, as well as to the fact that more than half of the decisions have not been fully reasoned.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of continued monitoring and assessment of the work of the judiciary and other PISG organs in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as an appraisal of their readiness to take over the executive competencies that the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) now has responsibility for, as provided by the decision on the extension of the mandate and reconfiguration of EULEX taken in June 2014. On a number of occasions, Serbia has pointed out the need for continued monitoring and defining of proper criteria for the appraisal of the work of the Institutions by the relevant missions present in Kosovo and Metohija under the auspices of the United Nations.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“In doing so, it is in breach of article 2 of the coalition agreement on the basis of which the current Government was formed in Pristina. That article provides for halting further privatization in the Serbian communities and an agreement that property issues be discussed in Brussels with the mediation of the European Council and the European Commission. I am convinced that we are all aware of the importance of respect for ownership rights regardless of whether private or public property is involved. In this sense, it is necessary to ensure that all activities in Kosovo and Metohija related to privatization once again take place in the legally valid framework. That is all the more relevant since activities in this area in the southern Serbian province necessarily have an ethnic connotation, which is inadmissible in a democratic world.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“I would like to point out that the nationality of the persons who come into possession of the companies is not in dispute; what is in dispute is that the actions involved are unlawful and motivated by the destruction of the economic resources in the Serbian communities. I would like to take this opportunity to raise the ongoing property issue of the Trepca combine: any other solution to this question that differs from the one achieved in the Brussels Agreement would be unacceptable to the Republic of Serbia. Of particular concern is the attempt of the Pristina Government to adopt, without consultations with the representatives of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija, the law on the amendments of the law on public enterprises.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“In the context of the priority that the Government of the Republic of Serbia attaches to resolving property issues in Kosovo and Metohija, I would like to draw the Council's attention to the privatization processes carried out by the Kosovo Privatization Agency, which are contrary to international and European human rights conventions. In addition, UNMIK has determined that the process was contrary to resolution 1244 (1999), as the Kosovo Privatization Agency was not established under the laws in force in Kosovo and Metohija in accordance with the resolution. Particularly evident is the tendency to privatize public and socially owned companies in the Serbian majority communities. Such companies are being sold to persons of Albanian nationality.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“As a sponsor of resoltuion 2178 (2014), the Republic of Serbia has taken all the necessary measures to suppress the financing and organizing of terrorism and the increasing phenomenon of recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters who join armed terrorist organizations in the Middle East, such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Serbia will continue to act resolutely on the suppression of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We expect the international missions in Kosovo and Metohija and PISG to make their own contributions, within their capacities, to this common fight of ours, which is of global significance.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“The attacks on these sites are, at the same time, attacks on the identity of Serbs and directly influence their feeling of security and acceptance. The renewed scribbling of graffiti on an endangered cultural site on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites brings into question the commitment of the relevant authorities in the province to protecting and preserving Serbian cultural and religious heritage. At the same time, we have been witness to the unfolding ofa parallel process of altering historical facts, aimed at marginalizing and eliminating the presence of Serbs and Serbia from the history of Kosovo and Metohija. Moreover, let me point out that the need for increased security has recently assumed an additional dimension related to the fight against terrorist threats originating from the worldwide rise of violent extremism.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“It is with concern that I bring to the Council's attention the continued desecration of Serbian monasteries. In the night of 4 and 5 December 2014, "UCK" and "Kosovo" graffiti were scribbled on the walls in the churchyard of the Saint Kosma and Damian Church, despite the security provided by the Kosovo Police forces. Let me point out that those acts are not only a threat and an insult addressed to the Serbian Orthodox Church and its clergy, but also a way to intimidate the remaining Orthodox population in Kosovo and Metohija, most of it consisting of Serbs. I take this opportunity to point to the need to introduce additional measures to protect the Serbian cultural and religious heritage in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“In that sense, I would like to point out that the messages related to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant "future Caliphate", to the Kosovo Liberation Army and to the Albanian National Army in the graffiti scribbled on the walls of Visoki Decani, the Serbian Orthodox monastery founded in the fourteenth century and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, continue to be disconcerting. The reason for our deep concern in that regard is not the mere desecration of a cultural heritage site of world renown, but that it is being desecrated by scribbling messages that glorify terrorists at a time when the international community is making enormous efforts in combating that evil - the biggest threat to international peace and security.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“Concerned over the slow progress in voluntary returns to Kosovo and Metohija and desirous of intensifying the efforts in this area, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has initiated the establishment of a new consultative body, incorporating the United Nations and other international and regional organizations, as well as the Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns. The creation of conditions for the Serbian and other non-Albanian populations to enjoy the basic human rights and the rights belonging to them as non-majority populations in Kosovo and Metohija would certainly help improve the general atmosphere for IDP returns. We condemn each and every desecration of religious sites, of whichever faith.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“In that context, I would like to draw the Council's attention as well to the legal insecurity evinced by a systematic obstruction of the property rights of Serbs, especially displaced Serbs, and the political obstruction of the process of integration of the judiciary organs in northern Kosovo and Metohija, as provided for by the Brussels Agreement. Serbia considers it its obligation to seek a solution so that conditions could be created for a normal life for all people who did not leave their homes of their own will.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“Instead of using the constructive approach of Serbia and its call on the Serbian people to take part in the elections and participate in the Government, Pristina has whipped up a climate of political instability and an anti-Serbian campaign, which is contrary to the goals of the Brussels dialogue. That is borne out also by OSCE data, available in the report before us, on over 230 security incidents that took place in returnee localities from August 2012 to 2014. The presence of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) is therefore necessary given the still unstable situation, and the number of its troops must not be reduced further. I expect KFOR to continue its engagement in accordance with its current mandate and within its competencies provided for both by the military-technical agreement and resolution 1244 (1999).”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“Illustrative examples in that regard are the numerous security incidents that took place as Serbs from Dakovica - who numbered 12, 000 prior to 1999 - attempted to visit their homes and the town cemetery. One incident involved the 6 January stoning of a bus with about 40 displaced Serbs from Dakovica inside. The only Minister in the Kosovo Government who condemned the incident was Aleksandar J ablanovie, which resulted in his dismissal. The violence against returnees, the dismissal of Minister Jablanovie and violent demonstrations in Pristina create an atmosphere of hatred towards the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as a feeling of distrust and insecurity.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“The latest UNHCR data, cited in the current report on UNMIK, confirm the continuity of the decreasing trend and confirm that only 149 persons returned from central Serbia to Kosovo and Metohija in the last trimester. I would like to point out that the experience gained so far from the work of the Kosovo Privatization Agency shows that the decisions on the right to property restitution are ineffective - that is, they remain words rather than deeds - as Albanians continue to use Serbian property or to re-occupy it upon eviction without consequences, while Serbs are still unable to repossess it. Physical insecurity, as evinced by the continued attacks on Serbs and their property and helped by the atmosphere of impunity for crimes committed against Serbs, is surely accountable for the long delay in IDP returns.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“This sad fact is noted also in the regular reports of the Secretary-General on the work of UNMIK and in the reports of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Let me remind the Council that Serbia tops the list of European countries with the largest number of IDPs. From Kosovo and Metohija, they number almost 230,000. According to UNHCR data, noted also in the report before us, 17,000 of them, mostly Serbs, are in the province itself. Return to Kosovo and Metohija has been realized by fewer than 5 per cent of IDPs. According to UNHCR data, 12,145 persons returned to Kosovo and Metohija from the rest of Serbia. Only 1.9 per cent - about 4 000 persons - have realized a sustainable return. Seventy per cent of the returnees are not ethnic Serbs.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“Serbia welcomes the work of UNMIK in the area of monitoring the status of non-majority communities in Kosovo and Metohija in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other missions present in the province. The Government of the Republic of Serbia attaches great importance to finding a proper solution for IDPs from Kosovo and Metohija. The creation of real conditions for their return is one of the key factors in the process of reconciliation. Unfortunately, even 15 years after the end of the conflict, there exist no conditions for sustainable IDP returns to Kosovo and Metohija, primarily because of the lack of proper interest in this question by the Provisional Institutions in Pristina.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source
“I take this opportunity to point out that the Government of the Republic of Serbia abides by the other agreement reached earlier on regional representation and cooperation, too. The agreement provides for the scope and manner of the participation of Pristina representatives in regional activities, initiatives and forums. Recently, however, attempts have been made to include the representatives of Pristina in the work of international organizations outside the context of the agreement. Those attempts are unacceptable for Serbia. These questions should be addressed within our dialogue with Pristina.”
2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source