YouSaid · the spoken record

Dacie

lines on the record: 218
first: 2013-06-14
most recent: 2018-05-14
sittings or episodes: 10
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

“Four houses of Serbian returnees were broken into and looted in the village of Ljevosa, in the municipality of Pee, during the night of 18 to 19 June. About 20 Serbs returned to the village in 2005 and 2006. That was not the first time that returning Serbs were intimidated with the aim of discouraging them from returning to their homes. Nor is the amelioration of the atmosphere of mistrust helped by arbitrary arrests of local Serbs, such as Jovica Dejanovie from Priluzje and Dorde Bojkovic from Babin Most, near Obiliq. I would like to make special mention of the case of Oliver Ivanovic', the leader ofthe civic initiative Serbia, Democracy, Justice, who was remanded into custody in January on suspicion of participating in alleged crimes committed during 1999 and 2000.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“That picture reveals the existence of a substantial gap between international standards and the legal framework and the situation in the field, which is characterized by inter-ethnic incidents, unresolved property issues and limited access to the services of public institutions by members of non-Albanian communities, as well as their mistrust in the work of those institutions. The situation in Kosovo and Metohija continues to be difficult. Serbs live in constant fear, while unemployment in Serbian communities is at levels higher than ever in the past. Those are all obstacles to the normalization of relations and to inter-ethnic confidence-building and are a potential threat to stability and security in a broader regional context.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“It has not yet taken the necessary steps to fully implement the agreements reached in Brussels, including the adoption of an amnesty law, the budget and local self-government. Confidence-building is not improved by the problems encountered by Serbian officials on their trips to Kosovo and Metohija either. In this reporting period, for instance, Serbian liaison officer Dejan Pavieevic' was banned from entering the province on 25 June. In addition to the consideration of the quarterly reports at Security Council meetings, true insight into the situation in Kosovo and Metohija can be gained only by taking into account the broader picture of the level of integration of Serbian and other non-Albanian populations in the economic and social flows of the province.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“In that regard, we concur with the assessment presented in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2014/558) that the commitment of Belgrade, as well Pristina, to European integration, coupled with continued active engagement by the European Union, are critical driving forces for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Serbia is firmly committed to the continuation of constructive dialogue with Pristina at all levels, as well as to the implementation of all agreements reached so far. It has fulfilled in good faith the obligations derived from the agreements reached in the dialogue. Regrettably, no such assessment could be made in connection with the Pristina side.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, within which the First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations was reached in Brussels on 19 April last year, was initiated with the aim of finding practical solutions to questions that hamper the normal life of the residents of Kosovo and Metohija. Serbia expects the European Union to continue to facilitate that dialogue. We believe that the results achieved by Serbia so far in the adoption of European values and standards and its further progress along its European path are the right context for the creation of a proper living environment for the people in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“Serbia cooperates in good faith with the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija and wishes to further strengthen, enrich and promote that cooperation. We appreciate the efforts invested by Mr. F arid Zarif in the implementation of the UNMIK mandate and the coordination of international civil and security presences. We also appreciate the contributions of UNMIK and other international organizations - the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and specialized agencies like the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - which, through their missions and under the United Nations auspices and resolution 1244 (1999), are constituent parts of those presences in Serbia's southern province.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“Mr. Dacie (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): Allow me to greet you, Mr. President, and the members of the Security Council, as well as to thank you for your ongoing attention to the question of Kosovo and Metohija. I am very pleased to be presented another opportunity to address this body in connection with the efforts that have been made under United Nations auspices to find a lasting and sustainable solution to the question of Kosovo and Metohija for 15 years now. I am convinced that we all agree with the assessment that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has a key role to play in the creation of conditions for peaceful coexistence for the residents of Kosovo and Metohija, a safe and secure life for all its communities and respect for their human rights.”
2014-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7257 (2014) · source
“Pristina, however, must be aware that there is no lasting comprehensive solution without Serbia's agreement and the decision of this body that I am addressing, the Security Council. Fifteen years have elapsed since the end of the armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija. Instead of continuing to live in the past and condemning each other, it is time that we found a sustainable solution for the future. I call on all States members of the Security Council to use the momentum reached in the solution of the problems in Kosovo and Metohija, which, I am sure, none of them expected when I spoke of it here 18 months ago, as an opportunity to build lasting stability and long-lasting peace in Kosovo and Metohija and the entire region. I thank the Council for its attention and understanding of the challenges facing us.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Serbia is also ready for dialogue aimed at finding a comprehensive solution, but it is not prepared to accept, and never will be, the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and Metohija. We warn Pristina not to misinterpret the readiness of Serbia for dialogue and compromise as Serbia's weakness and not to use such readiness for the affirmation of its self-declared independence. In order to bring about a historical reconciliation of the two peoples and a comprehensive solution to the problem of Kosovo and Metohija, it is necessary that the two sides take difficult and courageous decisions. We played our part and shall continue the dialogue with undiminished intensity and maximum constructiveness.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“I say that as someone born in Prizren, Kosovo and Metohija, the town that was the capital of Serbia in the Middle Ages. Only 20-odd Serbs live there today. As a consequence of the five-century- long occupation by the Ottoman Empire and the ethnic cleansing of Serbs by Albanians in the past two centuries, Albanians are the majority population of Kosovo and Metohija today. That fact does not give the right to the Albanians to take unilateral decisions of independence without the agreement of the country from which they secede. Let me be quite clear: Serbia is ready for normalization and reconciliation in the region, primarily in the interests of ordinary people.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The families of the Serbian victims must not be seen as less deserving of justice than the victims of the other war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s. Participating in the Security Council meeting on 21 August 2012 (see S/PV.6822) for the first time in my capacity as Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, 1 said that the solution of the problems in Kosovo and Metohija would be one of the most important priorities of the new Government and that we were ready to achieve, through negotiations and dialogue, a peaceful and sustainable solution that fully respected the legitimate interests of both Albanians and Serbs, as well as all other peoples living in Kosovo and Metohija. We want lasting peace. In order for peace to last, it must be just.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“According to the report, entitled "Inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo", hundreds of Serbs were abducted in Kosovo before, during and immediately after the 1999 conflict and sent to secret detention camps in the Republic of Albania. Many of them were subsequently selected for forced surgery before being murdered. Their internal body organs were extracted and sold on the international black market. Just as Serbia has done everything to uncover and prosecute all those who committed atrocities against the Albanian population in Kosovo, it expects the whole truth on the war crimes committed against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to be established and all those responsible for such crimes to be punished.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“That is equally true for UNMIK, the Kosovo Force, EULEX and the missions of other international organizations. Each and every proposal for the termination of those missions, the reduction of their scope and a change in their mandate must be the subject matter of a serious discussion and agreement, lest it affect the peace and stability in Kosovo and Metohija and, by extension, in the entire region. Serbian officials continue meticulously to follow the investigation launched by the EULEX Special Investigative Task Force into the allegations made in the December 2010 report of Swiss senator Dick Marty, which was almost unanimously adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Given that it was necessary for the Security Council to adopt a presidential statement (S/PRST/2008/44) on the so-called six-point plan of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, that is, to deploy EULEX under the UNMIK umbrella, is not the approval of that body also needed for a substantial change in the mandate and scope of the EU Mission? The point of departure for determining the measures to be taken to improve the contribution of the European Union to Kosovo and Metohija should be a report of the Secretary-General on the progress that EULEX has achieved to date. The Republic of Serbia expects a discussion on that topic to be started and will participate constructively in it. In brief, owing to the lack of mutual trust, I believe that, in order for all agreements to be implemented, an international presence in Kosovo and Metohija is necessary.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“They should be even more mindful with regard to the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the minority communities in Kosovo and Metohija. We see UNMIK as the main guarantor, all the more so as the EU Mission will be reconfigured during the year. I would like to point out in particular that any discussion of a possible change of the scope and mandate of EULEX must not take place outside the Security Council, bearing in mind that the United Nations is the coordinating organization of the international presence in Kosovo and Metohija. I believe that today's meeting is the right opportunity to initiate a discussion on the reconfiguration of EULEX, as the Security Council is the only appropriate forum to agree on changes in Kosovo and Metohija that would lead to lasting and stable progress in the field.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Entry into possession is being prevented, and there is no free choice of the place of return and no conditions for the sustainable survival of returnees. Even if returnees decide to return, local communities do their utmost to make them feel neither accepted nor acceptable. In the municipality of Klina, two returnee houses have already been set on fire in the past 10 days. Last but not least, attempts are continually being made to rename or to stamp out Serbian cultural and religious heritage and to confiscate property belonging to the Republic of Serbia. As pointed out by the Secretary-General in his report, one ofthe priorities ofthe United Nations Mission is to ensure respect for human rights. We believe that all international missions must respect such a priority, irrespective of which right is involved.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Moreover, in areas where agreement has already been reached, Pristina has failed to show the political will needed to start the political process that, as the first step in the implementation of the Agreement, would change the legal framework to allow the formation of the community of Serbian municipalities, in accordance with its commitments. The Serbs and members of other minority communities in Kosovo and Metohija continue to encounter problems. Their freedom of movement is still limited or blocked. Their security and free use of language, access to institutions, exercise of the right to participate in elections and vote are threatened. No mechanisms exist either to provide for restitution of usurped property or to protect property from repossession after eviction.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“It is far from clear today how the question of their claims would be resolved, considering that only creditors who had registered claims against the Trepca combine through the management team for the establishment of the community of Serbian municipalities could request payment of more than â‚¬268 million. In that context, laws are being changed in the areas that will remain matters of debate. By so acting, Pristina has shown itself to be inconsistent and unwilling to honour agreements. Furthermore, laws are being changed in other areas as well, before being negotiated in Brussels.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The combine employs a large number of members of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija. The adoption of a new law designed to amend the ownership structure and the legal status of the combine would undoubtedly be yet another unilateral act that could result in altering the rights and the status of Trepca employees and members of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija. That would be tantamount to confiscating the property of the Republic of Serbia and a violation of the basic principles of property rights. The alteration of the legal regulation would result in the rescission of creditors' rights.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“About 40,000 land restitution claims have been filed at the Kosovo Property Agency, while, according to unofficial data, almost 700,000 parcels have been usurped. Another problem affecting property restitution is the lack of appropriate protection against repeated unlawful repossession after eviction. Moreover, Serbian property in Kosovo and Metohija has been expropriated following the decision of the so-called Kosovo authorities for the purposes of highway construction. In the Gracanica municipality, for example, about 170 out of 213 expropriated properties belong to Serbs. We were recently advised that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government intended to alter the legal status of the Trepca combine, the majority owner of which is the Republic of Serbia.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The question of the restitution of property to members of non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija, among which Serbs are the majority, is surely embedded in the question of minority rights. In addition, there is the open question of the property of the State of Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church. The legal mechanisms initiated by UNMIK and EULEX to address property issues, assist courts to reduce the number of unresolved claims and provide protection to individuals in cases of human rights violations have, regrettably, yielded less than adequate results. That type oflitigation accounts for 40 per cent of the overall number ofunresolved cases before the courts ofKosovo and Metohija. Furthermore, the large number of forged ownership documents creates another impediment to upholding of property rights.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The current discriminatory treatment of minority communities makes it impossible for their members to lead normal lives, especially with respect to the enjoyment of all rights legally provided for in instruments in force in Kosovo and Metohija. The law on discrimination promulgated by the Special Representative himself provides special protection to minority communities, bans all forms of discrimination and protects the individual not only against discriminatory acts of public agencies, but also against the discriminatory behaviour of legal and natural persons. Regrettably, UNMIK and the Pristina institutions have not followed up on the high quality of that legal text with concrete and relevant measures to implement it, leaving a huge discrepancy and outright contrast between them and everyday instances of direct discrimination.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“An ethnic crime of low intensity may suffice to cause serious limitations to the freedom of movement of Serbs and other non-Albanians who find their lives compromised by a complex range of minor limitations, such as a reluctance to travel alone or by night, restriction of choices of place and time for small purchases of everyday necessities, limited use of the Serbian language in public places, the safety of trips to school, and so on. Public condemnation of ethnically motivated incidents would go a long way towards improving inter-ethnic dialogue and tolerance and help create the awareness that the future lies in multi-ethnicity and the acceptance of returnees from other ethnic groups.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Regrettably, despite our numerous protestations, no records on ethnically motivated crimes have yet been compiled, and the competent agencies of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo and Metohija continue to fall short in trying those crimes. Although the number of attacks is smaller compared to previous reporting periods, the fact remains that the attacks have never come to an end, just as it is a fact that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are becoming increasingly scarce. Therefore, the number of attacks must never be reduced to a statistic that could be misleading; what is clear, however, is the message transmitted by attacks on members of a community.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“It is necessary to achieve fundamental agreement on the long-term representation of the Serbian community in Pristina's central institutions, with a clear picture of its participation in Government agencies, and to regulate, inter alia, financing methods, communication with Pristina and modalities for holding central Government elections. Even if it is accurate for the reporting period, the Secretary-General's assessment that the number of inter-ethnic incidents has decreased does not exonerate the perpetrators of the more than 7,000 physical attacks that have been carried out since 1999.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The Government of the Republic of Serbia has given guarantees that Oliver Ivanovie, Dragoljub Delibasie, Laza Lazie and Zarko Veselinovie, who are being detained in Kosovo and Metohija, will be available to EULEX during the court proceedings in their entirety. Elections in northern Mitrovica will be held and its mayor elected. Steps will be taken thereafter to establish the community of Serbian municipalities, the statute of which is currently being drafted. However, we must mention the failure of Pristina to prepare a legal framework for the effective exercise of the competencies of the future community pursuant to the Brussels Agreement and its lack of political will to implement that part of the Agreement.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Ivanovic', who is being detained in a prison in Pristina, was arrested specifically on the basis of such testimony. In addition, the appellate court failed to provide an explanation as to why the legal deadline to act upon his arrest appeal was allowed to lapse. The Republic of Serbia most vigorously protests the arrest of Oliver Ivanovie and requests the Security Council to seek his release from detention and an explanation as to why he was arrested just prior to the holding of the mayoral elections in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, of which he is one of the candidates. Such unwarranted actions may threaten the already fragile peace and stability in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“We are witness to exactly what I have persistently warned about in this Chamber - a failure to punish perpetrators of crimes against Serbs is instrumental to creating a climate amenable to the perpetration of new crimes, which must not go unpunished and whose perpetrators we expect to see brought to justice soon. Nor has stability been helped by the arrest of Oliver Ivanovie, another mayoral candidate in northern Kosovska Mitrovica and one of the most prominent Serbian politicians in Kosovo and Metohija. That is indicative of another problem we have warned about for years and which we expect to be resolved. While secret indictments may not exist in Kosovo and Metohija, witnesses who must testify 15 years after crimes were allegedly committed do.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“We must not disregard the fact that, as stated in the report of the Secretary-General, there were incidents at polling stations in the north that did not occur in the second round due to the intervention of political leaders and, let me add, proper organization of the elections by the authorities. I regret that those obviously effective measures were not taken before the first round of elections. The recent assassination of Dimitrije Janic'ijevie, a mayoral candidate in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, helped create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity, which will surely dent the prospects of Serbs' participation in elections.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The IDPs who were not entered into the voters' list of the Central Election Commission of Kosovo are many even though they fulfilled all conditions. It so happens that even the election candidates had no right to vote, although the Commission itself confirmed the validity of their candidatures - a practice that is unprecedented in the world. I considered it necessary to highlight the problems that Serbs encountered in pre-election and election processes lest an impression be created that, except in northern Kosovo and Metohija, things run smoothly everywhere else. There is a need to remedy those shortcomings before the next elections.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Let me point out that the IDP identity card was considered as proof of displacement and identity at elections so far, while at the local elections in Kosovo and Metohija the IDP identity card or the certificate issued by the Refugee and Migrations Commissariat of the Republic of Serbia were being considered only as proof of identity. Considering that there is no other way to prove internal displacement, the Central Election Commission refused to recognize in this way the IDP registration carried out and verified by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the voters' list established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The situation regarding voters' lists is very complex and it is imperative that they be updated in time for the next elections.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Notwithstanding the agreements, the election materials were only partially status-neutral; mail registration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) began after almost a two-month delay and lasted only five days; despite the agreement that Serbian documents were also valid, verification of the inclusion of a person in voters' lists with Kosovo's Central Election Commission was possible only on the basis of the Kosovo personal number; and the possibility of e-mail registration was unavailable to that category of voters.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The report fails to address any of the numerous obstacles that Serbs encountered in that processes and that prevented many of them from participating in the elections and exercising freely their civil rights. We shall continue to insist on the implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels in both letter and spirit, which was not the case at the local elections.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The sustainability of the returns and reintegration processes continues to be further restrained by ongoing incidents affecting returnees, their property and religious and cultural heritage sites, as well as by limited access to property and public services, blocked or delayed property restitution and a lack of economic opportunities. We have called upon Serbs to participate in the local elections in Kosovo. In order to encourage them to also participate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Kosovo and Metohija as a desirable step - which is, I believe, in our common interests - we must focus on eliminating the shortcomings that marred the recent local elections.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“It also highlights the need for simplifying and streamlining the complex and overlapping institutional set-up for reporting on those rights, as well as for their promotion, at both central and local levels. It points to the continued attacks on religious heritage sites, in particular the widespread desecration of Serbian Orthodox churches and cemeteries, and the need for improving the mechanisms for reporting and following up on such activities. The report also points to the weak implementation of anti-discrimination policies and goes on to say that many unresolved property compensation claims are still before the courts and that inter-ethnic disputes are unduly prolonged. The so-called Kosovo authorities, it is also said in the report, need to do more to reach out to displaced persons regarding the expropriation of their real estate.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“The fact that the accession negotiations began on 21 January and that the screening on chapter 35 of the conditions for membership was held is telling evidence that the Republic of Serbia had fulfilled its obligations under the Brussels Agreement in time and approached the dialogue in a constructive spirit. In addition to the need to implement all basic human rights provisions, including amending the legal framework with respect to religious freedoms, the Kosovo 2013 Progress Report of the European Commission points also to the need for addressing other very important problems confronting Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija. The report calls for the improved implementation of the existing legal framework and for the enforcement of decisions to remedy human rights infringements.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“On 21 January, the Republic of Serbia officially started the process of accession to the Union, of which we are very proud, since we consider the decision of the European Union to open the negotiations as recognition of the efforts that we have invested in modernizing the country. We consider that the beginning of the accession process is also a great impetus to further work to improve the living conditions of the Serbian people in Kosovo, on the renewed conviction that our constructive approach to the promotion of European values in Serbian society will be properly appreciated.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“I call on the members ofthe Security Council tojoin efforts to create additional conditions on the ground for the consistent implementation of the agreements we have reached so far, for I deeply believe that this is the only way to establish mutual trust in Kosovo and Metohija. Short of such trust, we may not, I am afraid, have sound foundations for any future agreements. I am sure that, in solidifying the foundations, the European Union will continue to lend us a helping hand, primarily during the upcoming negotiations in Brussels, as well as within the negotiations on European integration that we have begun.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Let me take this opportunity once again to thank Baroness Ashton for her patient and wise mediation, on behalf of the European Union, of the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. The patience and wisdom that helped us overcome the decades-long vacuum are of key importance for the process of the normalization of relations, which is a precondition for the normalization of life in Kosovo and Metohija. Should our patience and wisdom now wear thin, not only would we not progress towards results, but we would squander peoples' trust and have to wait a long time for another opportunity to rehabilitate the idea of cohabitation.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Farid Zarif, as well as by the organizations working under the United Nations umbrella, including the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). They have created conditions for all sides to work together on improving the living conditions of all people in Kosovo and Metohija, irrespective of their ethnic affiliation. I believe that the Council will agree that disagreements with regard to the question of the status of Kosovo and Metohija must not impede our efforts to act jointly to bring about solutions to practical questions that were pushed onto the backburner by Pristina for many years. Thanks to the unstinting efforts of all actors in the negotiations, major breakthroughs have been made, which are noted in the report of the Secretary-General (S/20l4/68).”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“During that time, a significant contribution has undoubtedly been made by these quarterly meetings convened under resolution 1244 (1999), the only valid legal framework of the international presence in Kosovo and Metohija. At the next Security Council meeting, we shall mark the first anniversary ofthe signing ofthe Brussels Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations, reached between Belgrade and Pristina in April 2013. In order to achieve ever-better results in the implementation of the Brussels Agreement in the period to come and to be able to look back at the results in that period with satisfaction, we must establish much clearer rules and build much greater confidence. We appreciate very much the constructive approach taken by the United Nations and its Special Representative Mr.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Mr. Dacie (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; English text provided by the delegation): At the outset, let me welcome the new members of the Security Council and wish them success in their work. It is a source of great honour and satisfaction for me to be given yet another opportunity to address a meeting of the Security Council dedicated to the work of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), a rare opportunity indeed to consider, in this forum, the way to go to overcome the problems in Kosovo and Metohija. Let me express, once again, my gratitude for the contribution made by the United Nations for almost 15 years now to the solution of outstanding issues.”
2014-02-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7108 (2014) · source
“Many meetings of the Security Council have been convened to discuss wars, sanctions and bombings in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. It is now time that we convened meetings to discuss the consolidation of peace and the better future of our people.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source
“Much more courage is needed to talk peace, much less to begin a war. Serbia is resolved to commit the past to the past, which we know we cannot change. What we can do though is to shape our present and our future. At this historic moment, we expect the international community to give an impetus to the implementation of the agreement and the building of regional stability. That is the support that I expect from members of the Security Council and from the Council of the European Union, which is expected to decide on the opening of the European Union membership negotiations. Iwould also like to use this opportunity to encourage the authorities in Pristina to find a compromise and a common language in the interests of our people and our common future.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source
“It is evident that, owing to the long-standing problems presented in the report of the Secretary- General, the non-majority population in the province has concerns. The respect for human and minority rights, the protection of the interests, life, cultural and religious heritage of all citizens alike, as well as the full implementation of the European standards in all areas are the goals for which we intend to fight with determination and resolve. We believe, that, by insisting on those values, the Balkans can overcome its past and use its multi-ethnicity as a precious asset, which it is, rather than as a source of conflict. Despite all of those problems, historic progress has undoubtedly been made in the period between the two meetings of the Security Council dealing with Belgrade-Pristina relations.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source
“The goal is to establish administrative organs in the province that will be respected by all of the parties included in the process, with formal, legal and political guarantees at the level of the province and the international community for the political, territorial and other rights of national communities throughout the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. The Republic of Serbia has already demonstrated its openness to dialogue and will maximize its efforts to overcome the current difficulties in the relations between the Serbian and Albanian peoples. The unreduced presence of UNMIK is of paramount importance for our efforts in order to ensure the effective advice of the Security Council and the United Nations, which play an irreplaceable role in providing legitimacy to the comprehensive solution.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source
“The sale of those companies to persons of Albanian nationality, with capital of suspect origin, have resulted in the loss of economic resources in these communities and is instrumental in stepping up the exodus of the Serbian population from Kosovo and Metohija for economic reasons and owing to the lack of security. In the previous political process, my country, notwithstanding the unilateral nature of the declaration of independence of Kosovo, granted a limited international status and legitimacy to the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina. It considers, however, that negotiations at a high political level should be conducted without addressing the question of the international and State legal status of the provisional institutions in Pristina.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source
“We deem the process to contravene international and European conventions on human rights, since it disregards the rights of the legal owners. Let us recall that the Republic of Serbia invested billions of dollars in public companies in Kosovo and Metohija over many decades, and, as a guarantor, continues to pay international creditors the instalment payments for loans taken out to help companies in Kosovo and Metohija. The rights of workers in non-majority communities, especially the IDPs, who are to receive part of the proceeds from the sale of such companies, are threatened by the privatization. The privatization of public and State-owned companies in Serbian communities is also of particular concern.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source
“I would like to highlight the question of the Serbian cultural heritage and religious sites in Kosovo and Metohija, which will be one of the topics of future negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. In that context, the establishment ofa specialized, multi-ethnic unit for the protection of cultural heritage and religious sites within the Kosovo police is a positive, but insufficient step in the right direction of providing additional guarantees for the security of the cultural heritage and religious sites in Kosovo and Metohija, especially because the Serbian population and Orthodox clergy do not trust the Kosovo police. The Government of the Republic of Serbia also has no confidence in the privatization carried out by the Kosovo Privatization Agency, formally the Kosovo Trust Agency.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source
“Such attacks are tolerated even in the case of an attempt to protect the Serbian heritage, such as the Supreme Court of Kosovo's decision confirming the ownership of the Deeani Monastery by the Serbian Orthodox Church. The demonstrations at Decani were organized after that decision by the Self-Determination Movement and officials of the Decani municipality and ended only after KFOR intervention. That protest is just another example of the instigation to ethnic hatred and religious intolerance by Albanian extremists and another reason why KFOR should stay in Kosovo and Metohija. I thank the United States for its decision not to reduce its contingent.”
2013-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6979 (2013) · source