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

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  1. “The Government of the Republic of Serbia has fulfilled conscientiously, consistently and in a timely manner all its obligations emanating from the agreements reached within the First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations, signed in Brussels on 19 April 2013. I express my satisfaction that the importance of the establishment of the community of Serbian municipalities is noted in the current report and defined as the key question in the direct continuation of the implementation of the Brussels Agreement. Let me point out that the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church and property issues remain the key questions for the Republic of Serbia in the further dialogue with Pristina.”

    2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source

  2. “However, a shadow over the visit was cast by an incident involving a group of Albanians who assaulted the motorcade of the highest Government representatives of the Republic of Serbia, which the report before us makes no mention of. Serbia approaches the dialogue with Pristina openly, desirous of finding practical solutions that will make it possible for all residents of Kosovo and Metohija to lead normal lives within a broader process of European integration. The participation of the Serbs in the political life of Kosovo and Metohija should contribute in that regard. In that context, I would like to point to the participation of the representatives of the Serbian list in the work of the Pristina Government in ministerial and other positions in its institutions.”

    2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source

  3. “The essence of the process of the normalization of relations is the finding of right answers to the questions that burden the life of the residents of Kosovo and Metohija and prevent them from realizing their basic rights. That can be achieved only through dialogue, based on a genuine understanding of the needs and interests of the other party, and readiness to compromise. I am pleased to note that, in that context, special mention has been made in the report of the visit of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vueie to Kosovo and Metohija on the occasion of the celebration of the Orthodox New Year and of his message of the need for life together and the building of a stable future for the Serbian community with its Albanian neighbours.”

    2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source

  4. “Following the formation of the Government in Pristina, as pointed out in the report before the Council as one of the key political events, Serbia expects that the political vacuum will be filled, which should contribute to the continuation of the implementation of the agreements reached in the Brussels dialogue. We also expect that the continuation of the dialogue at the high level in Brussels on 9 February this year will provide additional impetus to the process of normalization begun between Belgrade and Pristina. The Government of the Republic of Serbia is fully committed to the dialogue with the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) in Pristina.”

    2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source

  5. “We also appreciate the contribution of other international organizations - including the Kosovo Force (KFOR), the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, as well as the specialized agencies of the United Nations - which, through their missions under United Nations auspices, are a part of the international civil and security presences in the province. In particular, we appreciate the efforts made by Mr. Farid Zarif, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, in monitoring the implementation of the UNMIK mandate and coordinating international civil and security presences.”

    2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source

  6. “I would like to reiterate what I have said on a number of occasions before this body. The presence of the United Nations Mission is of paramount importance to stability in the southern Serbian province and to the creation of conditions leading to a lasting and sustainable settlement to the question of Kosovo and Metohija. Serbia highly appreciates the engagement of UNMIK in creating conditions for peaceful coexistence among the residents of Kosovo and Metohija, the security of all local communities, and respect for their human rights.”

    2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source

  7. “Mr. Dacic' (Serbia) (Spoke in Serbian; English text provided by the delegation): Allow me to express my gratitude for the opportunity to address the Security Council on the occasion of the consideration of the most recent report of the Secretary-General (S/2015/74) on the work of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). I would like to thank all the members of this organ for their continued attention they accord to the question of Kosovo and Metohija. Drawing upon the constructive cooperation achieved over the 15 years since the establishment of the Interim Administration in Kosovo and Metohija, I am convinced that, through consistent efforts and joint endeavours based on resolution 1244 (1999), we shall arrive at the goal to which we all aspire - the political settlement of the question of Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2015-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7377 (2015) · source

  8. “The Republic of Serbia continues to be committed to continuing the Brussels process in the best interests of all, in good faith and with a good will.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  9. “We have made difficult decisions this year, and the stable support we enjoy among our voters is indicative of the support of the majority of our citizens for our policy. I would like to reiterate once again that the dialogue in Brussels is status-neutral, and that the desire to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina does not mean that our position has changed regarding non-acceptance of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. We expect that all the issues I have mentioned will be the subject of the resumed dialogue in Brussels on 5 December. We have achieved very important results in strengthening peace and stability in the region and in addressing many problems in the relations between Belgrade and Pristina.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  10. “IfI may, I would like to cite a definition of reconciliation that I came across while reading about transional justice, according to which reconciliation implies a society that has rediscovered the capacity to manage conflicts in a non-violent way; a society that can live with a multitude of opinions, races, cultures and religions and that sees in them the basis for its identity; a society whose structures create the conditions for development that includes rather than excludes individuals and that is based on ethics accepted by all. The Government of the Republic of Serbia is doing its utmost to build such a society, and we would be very happy to see the same efforts made in Pristina, too.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  11. “We expect that Pristina will make additional efforts to ensure that mutually acceptable solutions can be reached and agreements implemented. It is particularly important that Pristina refrains from unilateral moves in the forthcoming period that could threaten the future of the dialogue and destabilize the security situation in the province. What we all want, once the community of Serb- majority municipalities is established, is to set out together along the road to building a society that will head towards the future while addressing, not forgetting, the problems of the past.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  12. “Regarding our activities, the report fails to mention the readiness of the institutions of the Republic of Serbia to cooperate with UNMIK with regard to documents on unpaid pensions to persons from Kosovo and Metohija. The activities of UNMIK are mentioned in paragraph 26, but no reference is made of the request on the part of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija to UNMIK, on two occasions, to provide data that would make it possible for the Office to implement the decision of the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg under which the Republic of Serbia is required to take measures to regulate those pensions. The Republic of Serbia is strongly committed to pursuing active and constructive negotiations with Pristina at all levels, as well as to implementing the agreements reached so far.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  13. “All developments in connection with the Klecka case, beginning with the disallowing of the testimony of key witness owing to the change in the Kosovo criminal law and the acquittal, all over again, of Limaj and his associates, mentioned in the report, cast a long shadow of doubt over the functioning, independence and impartiality of the judiciary system in Kosovo and Metohija. Serbia is disappointed with the decision, but it hopes that the EULEX prosecutor will appeal it. We once again call attention to the importance of a full and efficient investigation of the allegations of trafficking in human organs, contained in the report of Mr. Dick Marty. To that end, Serbia is ready to continue to cooperate with the EULEX investigation team and hopes that the investigation will yield results soon.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  14. “All of this indicates that the rule of law has not yet been established in Kosovo and Metohija and that human rights are not properly protected, especially the rights of minorities. The case of Fatmir Limaj, former Minister for Transport and Telecommunications in the Government of Kosovo, and his co-defendants, indicted for the killing, torture and threats to the health of Serbian and Albanian civilians and prisoners of war in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) base in the village of Klecka is a textbook example of the weakness of the Kosovo and Metohija judiciary and the influence of the politically powerful, most of them recruited from the ranks of the erstwhile KLA, on the political, legal and social system in Kosovo and Metohija as a whole, including the international judiciary component.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  15. “The IDPs did try to effect legal regulation of at least some of the issues. Slightly more than 30 per cent of the displaced households sued to protest the usurpation of their property, but as many as 70 per cent ofthose claims remained unanswered by the provisional institutions in Pristina. I would also like to draw attention to the large number of decisions by the Kosovo courts throwing out Serbian and non-Albanian claims for destroyed property against UNMIK, KFOR and the provisional institutions, with the boilerplate explanation that there is no legal responsibility. Moreover, plaintiffs who lose their cases are asked to pay high legal fees, even though they are IDPs and the request runs counter to the so- called Pinheiro Principles on the rights of displaced persons.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  16. “In our assessment, no more than 4,000 of these are sustainable returnees. Only between 1 to 2 per cent of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) has managed to stay for good. Of particular concern is the drastic decrease in the number of returnees registered in 2013 compared to the two previous years. According to the UNHCR data, 122 displaced persons returned to Kosovo and Metohija by the middle of August, whereas 442 returnees were registered in 2012. Meanwhile, in the latest privatization round in September, the Kosovo Privatization Agency, about whose unlawful operations we have already warned - just as we warned of the destructive effects of the sale of companies in Serbian localities - put up for sale the Silovo refrigerator complex, in which the collection centre for IDPs from the Kosovo Morava river basin is situated.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  17. “They acquiesced to that solution in the hope that it would be temporary and that, in the end, it would lead to further solutions and make life more normal. Regrettably, there were no such results. The desired changes failed to materialize. Over time, even the name of their coalition and their main objective began to sound bitterly ironic. Coalition Return could do nothing to achieve the return of displaced Serbs, because, instead of the assistance promised, it was met with outright obstruction from Pristina and a lack of interest on the part of the representatives of the international community. According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in the almost 15 years since June 1999, out of the 230,000 people who left their homes in Kosovo and Metohija, 18,000 have returned.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  18. “This is the first time that the institutions of Serbia, including its Government, its church and the vast majority of the political parties represented in its Parliament, have joined forces in calling on Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to come out and vote. However, this is not the first time that they voted. In the 2001 elections, their coalition, Return, received almost 90,000 votes. It cannot be said that Serbs did not try to participate in organizing their life in the province or that they did not attempt to protect their interests by creating fertile conditions for the progress of society as a whole. They did not boycott the sessions of the local Parliament, although they had to travel to them in armoured vehicles of the Kosovo Force (KFOR).”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  19. “Approximately 2,000 such attacks were registered in the period between January and October 2012 alone, 70 per cent of which were directed against the Serbian community. The Government of the Republic of Serbia has also condemned in the strongest terms the attacks on the international forces in Kosovo and Metohija. Allow me to express on this occasion our profound regret at the death of Audrius Senavicius, a Lithuanian member of EULEX. Belgrade is ready to participate in the investigation of that case. I would also like to express the hope that there will be no more victims in Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  20. “The community of Serbian municipalities is necessary as a mechanism for the protection of minority interests in Kosovo and Metohija because of the experiences those municipalities have had, even after the arrival of international forces. Since 10 June 1999, when the international civil and military presences in Kosovo and Metohija were established, over 7,000 physical attacks have been registered, while three-fourths of the localities in which Serbs lived before the war have been ethnically cleansed. In the Third Opinion of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, mentioned in paragraph 39 of the report, concern is expressed over the increase in the number of security incidents directed against non-Albanian communities during the past several years.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  21. “Likewise, the Deputy Regional Commander of the Kosovo police for the north was appointed, without the agreement of our side, from among members of the Albanian community south of the Ibar River, namely, from the municipality of Vucitrn, contrary to the agreement on ethnic representation within the regional command of the Kosovo police. Once again, I have focused on problems that were discussed at the last meeting, as they concern questions of vital importance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija. They concern its legal status, its financing, and the physical, legal and economic security of all those who belong to it. I consider it my duty to warn of the lack of good will that exists on the Pristina side.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  22. “Under the agreements that have been reached, the courts in northern Kosovo and Metohija that functioned within the judiciary system of the Republic of Serbia ceased to try cases in anticipation of the establishment of new courts that would take over and continue to process those cases. The buildings that will house the new courts and prosecutor's offices have not yet been designated, and neither the number of employees to work in the individual institutions nor the concrete conditions they will have to fulfil has been established. Besides, Pristina does not agree with the establishment of a basic court but only of a court of appeals, which is totally unacceptable to our side.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  23. “Yet, in assessing the constitutionality of that law, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo found some of its articles to be unconstitutional. Acts that have not been incorporated into the Law on Amnesty include those for which the judiciary organs of the provisional institutions of self-government may prosecute persons of Serbian nationality in Kosovo and Metohija. Some international judges of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, in particular Robert Carolan of the United States and Almiro Rodrigues of Portugal, rendered dissenting opinions in which, contrary to the Court's decision, they argued that amnesty for such acts does not contravene the Constitution. Pristina has not fulfilled its obligation to establish a new functional network of courts in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  24. “In the draft law amending the Law on Local Self- Government, which was supposed to incorporate the community of Serb-majority municipalities into the legal framework of the provisional institutions of self-government, the community of Serb-majority municipalities is mentioned only in supplemental paragraph 4 of article 32, which provides for the abolition of the community by a two-thirds decision of its members. The draft law makes no other reference to the community, despite the provisions of the Brussels agreements. We therefore conclude that Pristina is interested only in regulating the procedure for abolishing the community of Serb majority municipalities. The report also states that the Law on Amnesty has been adopted.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  25. “However, Pristina has not yet taken the necessary steps in key areas, including the adoption of laws in accordance with the agreements reached by the two sides in Brussels, in particular the laws on amnesty, the local Kosovo budget and local self-government, the fulfilment of its obligations with regard to integrated boundary management, the establishment of a new network of judiciary organs, and the appointment of members of the Regional Command Team North in northern Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  26. “We therefore weighed each and every detail and assessed its applicability carefully before we signed on the dotted line. That is why we succeeded in fulfilling our commitments, as stated in the report. I believe that this statement would differ considerably from those I have made previously in this Chamber if the other side had also approached the implementation of the agreements with equal seriousness, because at least some of the problems would have been overcome. The climate before the local elections would also have improved, and the encouragement to minority communities to take part in the elections would have been much stronger.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  27. “I am pleased with the success of the repeated first round of the elections in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, which was completed without incident, even though it is not clear why the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe requested the counting of the votes to take place outside Kosovska Mitrovica, in a locality in which Albanians live, as no reasons existed for that. It is very important for the Republic of Serbia that agreements on the implementation of the Brussels agreement take place in accordance with the will and intentions of the negotiators who initialled the agreement, so that the position of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija is defined and presented in clear terms. The agreements were not easy to arrive at for our delegation, but we were determined from the very beginning to fulfil what we put our signature to.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  28. “At the same time, the highest State representatives of other countries, such as Albania and Turkey, were able to travel there and participate in campaigns for local elections. I would like to take this opportunity to call on Pristina and international actors to ensure conditions for the holding of the second round of local elections in municipalities with Serb majorities, in order to avoid a repetition of the gross Violations of the elections procedure that we witnessed on 3 November, when necessary security measures were not taken to ensure the free expression of the will of the citizens. We condemn once again the violence responsible for the repetition of the first round of the elections in Kosovska Mitrovica. I underscore the resolve of Belgrade to help, as much as it can within its powers, to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  29. “The group of 15 indicted by the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) also includes a number of other high-level representatives of the Provisional Institutions in Pristina, including their representative in Tirana. In such an atmosphere it was not easy to canvass, let alone vote in the elections. Nevertheless, the Government of the Republic of Serbia is very satisfied with the fact that more than 45,000 people turned out to vote in the Serbian municipalities. Although our highest- ranking officials were often banned from travelling to Kosovo and Metohija, we did manage to motivate Serbs to go out to vote. Just today, we received the news that Mr. Aleksandar Vulin, a minister without portfolio of the Government of Serbia, was again banned from going to Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  30. “Assurances that secret indictments against Serbs for alleged war crimes did not exist were invalidated by the accusations made on Kosovo television that four Serbs from the Civic Initiative Srpska were under suspicion of having committed war crimes. It is indicative that none of them had been suspected before they became candidates for local elections in Kosovo and Metohija. The suspicion of a problematic war past, however, was no obstacle for Albanian candidates. Thus, we have found ourselves in a situation where elections in two constituencies will most probably have to be repeated, as the candidates who won in the first round have been indicted of war crimes in the meantime.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  31. “Besides, no legal framework was set up to facilitate the establishment of the community of Serbian municipalities. But, 6,000 Albanians who had never lived in northern Kosovska Mitrovica were entered in its voters list, while a significant number of Serbs who lived in the northern part of the town were entered into the voters list of the southern part, with the intent to influence elections results. In addition, the candidates of the Serbian minority were intimidated, in more ways than one. The mayoral candidate for northern Mitrovica was physically attacked, and four candidates from the Serbian list were accused of war crimes.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  32. “It is therefore possible to say that the community of Serbian municipalities will be formed not thanks, among other things, to the efforts of the Provisional Institutions in Pristina but in spite of them. Although we arrived at precise agreements in Brussels on all the details of the pre-election process, we found ourselves before the voting in a situation of having to go to European Union (EU) headquarters anew in order to establish once again the list of conditions - already established long before - because Pristina did not fulfil almost any of the conditions in the intervening period. It did not prepare status-neutral election materials, no member of the Central Election Commission from the ranks of the Serbian community was elected in time and the majority of displaced persons were effectively made unable to vote.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  33. “Guided by the desire to make their everyday lives easier, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has called on Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to delegate, at the local elections, their representatives to the community of Serbian municipalities, who would be their legitimate representative in talks with Belgrade and Pristina. We consider that this is the only way to a lasting and sustainable solution, and that the legalization of the status of the Kosovo and Metohija Serbs before the international community strengthens their position. Whereas Serbia invested maximum efforts to encourage the Kosovo and Metohija Serbs to participate in the elections in great numbers, the Provisional Institutions in Pristina did not bother to create an appropriate climate, and often not even the basic conditions, to bring that about.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  34. “Under the agreement, the community will have competencies in the areas of economic development, education, health and urban and rural planning. The community will have an assembly, president and executive organ. In addition, the community has had certain security guarantees and guarantees in the field of the judiciary confirmed, such as the appointment of a regional commander for northern Kosovo and Metohija from the ranks of Kosovo and Metohija Serbs and the establishment of a chamber of the Court of Appeals in Pristina, to be comprised of Kosovo and Metohija Serb majority judges, with jurisdiction in all municipalities with a Serb majority.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  35. “The first agreement on principles governing the normalization of relations was reached - but it does not mean much unless it is followed up with consistent implementation of what has been agreed. As acknowledged by many international officials and stated in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2013/63l), the Republic of Serbia has demonstrated a high level of flexibility in the dialogue and invested significant efforts, in the belief that the negotiating process may lead to a long-term and generally acceptable solution. The Brussels agreement is the result of the political dialogue; it determined the framework for local elections and provided for the establishment of the community of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source

  36. “Mr. Dacic' (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; English text provided by the delegation): Allow me once again to thank the members of the Security Council for the attention they accord to the question of Kosovo and Metohija, as well as for the understanding they show by convening regular meetings under resolution 1244 (1999) to discuss this matter every three months. Such meetings continue to be necessary in spite the fact that more than 10 years have elapsed since the first meeting. I would also like to thank Mr. Farid Zarif, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who continues to work with dedication to address questions upon which normal life in the province depend, notwithstanding the calls from Pristina to end the Mission. Significant political breakthroughs were made last year.”

    2013-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7064 (2013) · source