YouSaid · the spoken record

Daeic

lines on the record: 287
first: 2014-08-29
most recent: 2019-10-31
sittings or episodes: 12
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

“That position of the Pristina institutions is a clear signal to the Security Council, the European Union and the international community for them to bring strong pressure to bear on Pristina so as to make it fulfil the obligations that it has assumed and finally establish the most important element of the normalization of relations - the establishment of the association/community ofSerb-majority municipalities. The prevention of the establishment of a Kosovo army of Kosovo was a clear indication that Pristina does heed the suggestions of the international community.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“The unilateral acts that Pristina adopts repeatedly, like the recent directive banning the use of Serbian passports issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia to enter and exit Kosovo and Metohija, is also noted in the report. That is yet another piece of evidence, which has been provided time and time again, that the constructive and responsible approach by Belgrade within the dialogue and the implementation of the agreements reached thus far is continually met by Pristina's obstructionism and lack of political will to work towards achieving genuine progress in the normalization of relations.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“In those four years, we have not put into practice what we agreed to, that is, the formation of the community of Serbian municipalities. How long are we going to wait for that to occur? I know that 1 million reasons can always be found to avoid fulfilling the obligations already undertaken. But four years is too long to argue about not doing it; it is better to say, "We do not want to implement the Brussels Agreement". In that context, I expect the Council's objective View of the situation, and not a case where the situation is defined in relative terms, whereby it is said that all sides are guilty for not implementing what has been agreed upon. Serbia will fulfil everything signed off to in the Brussels Agreement. I was the one who signed the Agreement.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“It is noted in the report that limited progress has been achieved on the technical aspects of the dialogue, and in the implementation of the telecommunications agreement specifically, in which the Serbian side again demonstrated its readiness to fulfil the obligations it assumed. However, the other side continues to lag behind and refuses to implement the agreement on the community of Serbian municipalities and the judiciary, even though the agreement on the establishment of the community forms the central part of the First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations and is the key to the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. In fact, I was the one who signed the Brussels Agreement, along with Hashim Thaci, four years ago.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“Yet I cannot but note that they cast a pall of relativity over the responsibility of the Pristina side, which was the one that broke off the dialogue unilaterally in the first place. Notwithstanding numerous obstacles and challenges, Belgrade continues to take part in the dialogue constructively, responsibly and devotedly, with the aim of solving the outstanding issues in a status- neutral framework and contributing to the stabilization of the situation and the creation of conditions for unimpeded progress by the Western Balkans region towards European Union (EU) membership.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“Alongside the unacceptable unilateral acts of, and the attachment of conditions and caveats by, Pristina, such as the resolution on the suspension of the dialogue and making its continuation contingent upon the fate of those charged with the commission of the most heinous crimes against the Serbian population, the threats are aimed at increasing tension and postponing compliance with obligations assumed under the agreements already achieved. Serbia welcomes each and every appeal by the international community in favour of renewing the dialogue, including the call by the Secretary-General addressed to both sides to resume the dialogue and provide new impetus to the process.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“I call on the international community and the judicial institutions in Kosovo and Metohija again not to remain silent in the face of hate speech and the threats to ethnically cleanse the remaining Serbs. We are reminded in the present report, just as we were in the previous one (S/2017/387), of the inflammatory statements made by Albanian political leaders regarding the creation of the so-called greater Albania. They pose an added threat to the process of reconciliation and the normalization of relations.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“Nonetheless, it is with satisfaction that I note that the success achieved by the Serbian list in the elections has confirmed the political unity of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, which is a guarantee that the constructive policy with respect to the protection of their interests will be continued. The current stalemate in the formation of Pristina institutions, however, gives us cause for concern, especially with regard to the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. In that connection, the statement of Ramush Haradinaj, one of the candidates for "Kosovo Prime Minister", made upon his return to Kosovo and Metohija from France, in which he threatened, speaking to "enemy Serbia", that "we will do to them far worse than we did back then" is particularly worrisome.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“By and large, the reporting period behind us was marked by electoral activities, and therefore a substantial part of the Secretary-General's report (S/2017/640) was devoted to the electoral process in Kosovo and Metohija. Noted during the reporting period were pressure and intimidation brought to bear on the Serbian community. That went hand in glove with threats to the security of the members of that community, aimed at breaking the unity of the Serbian voting bloc. However, such practices received inadequate coverage in the report before us.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“In the context of the contribution to be made to the creation of conditions for unimpeded implementation of UNMIK's mandate and to support the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, facilitated by the European Union, I would like to underline that the continued convening of Security Council meetings to discuss this issue every three months is of key importance. Regular quarterly reporting and UNMIK's ever-more visible presence in the field can have only a positive impact on the strengthening of trust and the readiness of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities to become involved in the processes initiated by the Brussels dialogue.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“I trust and believe that it will have a positive effect on ensuring a comprehensive and more deliberate approach on the part of the Mission with regard to assessing and resolving a whole range of problems facing the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities in the realization of their fundamental rights and in promoting the still very fragile security and rule of law in the province. In view of the sensitive environment in which it operates, it is evident that the Mission often refrains from criticizing the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo and Metohija in stronger terms. Regrettably, the even- handed approach in its reporting did not contribute to the Institutions taking more constructive positions.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“That adoption reflects the realistically assessed need for ensuring adequate staff and financial capacities to the Mission so that it can meet the needs associated with the implementation of its mandate. At the same time, the strengthening of UNMIK sends a powerful message on the importance of the mandate and the role of the United Nations as the overarching international presence in Kosovo and Metohija. Bearing in mind UNMIK's substantial and long- term role in building and maintaining stability in the province, as well as the need for its adaptation and strengthening following the reconfiguration of other segments of the international presence, I expect this trend to continue in the future.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“Mr. Daeic' (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; interpretation provided by the delegation): I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Zahir Tanin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, for his engagement in the realization of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) under resolution 1244 (1999), and to the members ofthe Security Council for the attention they accord to this issue on a continuous basis. In View of the exceptional importance that Serbia attaches to the work ofUNMIK, I would like to point out the significance of the recent adoption of the Mission's budget as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, as well as the initial proposal of the secretary-General to increase the budget.”
2017-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8025 (2017) · source
“UNMIK's continued engagement is especially important, along with an undiminished international presence in Kosovo and Metohija as a whole, because, as the Secretary-General rightly concludes in his report, much work remains to be done in Kosovo and Metohija to promote greater tolerance and reconciliation among its communities, ensure the protection of minority communities, facilitate displaced people's return, uphold their property rights and safeguard religious traditions without impediment or stigma.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Serbia therefore hopes that the international community, and the United Nations in particular, will continue to provide assistance aimed at building the confidence and trust that we believe are essential to a firm foundation for a normal life for all in Kosovo and Metohija. In our View, a commitment to European integration is the driving force for normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina, and we hope that the European Union will continue to facilitate the dialogue.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“According to data for January, about 300 Kosovan Albanian men and 36 Albanian women joined the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria, a presence that, compared to the population of the territory of origin, represented the world's largest percentage of foreign terrorist fighters in ISIL. However, we have been informed more than once by the security services of some of our foreign partners that the unofficial number of the extremists from Kosovo and Metohija fighting on foreign battlefields differs wildly from the official data and that the actual number is close to 900. The political, social and economic conditions of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija remain very complex.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Political radicalization and a deteriorating security situation resulting from political ferment and the rise of extremism are a threat to every resident of Kosovo and Metohija, and as a rule to the returnees to ethnically mixed communities most of all. The political crisis in Pristina carries the serious risk that the dissatisfaction of voters in majority communities will spill over and be aimed at minority communities, and the Serbian community in particular. It hardly seems likely that the incendiary nationalistic rhetoric of the politicians in Pristina will help to allay the tensions and bring reconciliation. The fragile security situation in Kosovo and Metohija is also being exacerbated by rising extremism and radicalism.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“I would also recall that in the absence of proper mechanisms for ensuring the systematic, institutional and effective protection of the interests of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija, the signing of the Brussels agreement was motivated by the need to find ways to achieve that protection, which, according to the agreement, would be done by the association/community of Serb-maj ority municipalities. Regrettably, owing to a lack of political will and the institutional crisis in Pristina, the key provisions of the Brussels agreement related to the establishment and functioning of the association/community have not yet been complied with.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the Republic of Serbia is committed to conducting constructive dialogue with Pristina at all levels and to implementing the agreements arrived at to date, which reflects its firm resolve to continue to actively contribute to promoting stability in the Western Balkans and seeking exclusively political and diplomatic solutions to all the remaining issues. Unfortunately, Pristina has not yet taken the necessary steps to fully implement the agreements reached in the Brussels talks.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“According to the most recent Community Rights Assessment Report of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, 67 per cent of non-Albanian respondents of a public survey stated that the lack of trust in Kosovo and Metohija judicial institutions was a serious obstacle in realizing their rights. As outlined in the World Report 2015 of Human Rights Watch, the justice system in Kosovo remains weak. This assessment is upheld also in USAID/Kosovo Country Development Cooperation Strategy 2014-2018. We are also concerned about media reports of the Pec Basic Court's indictment of 14 Kosovo and Metohija Serbs from Klina municipality for war crimes allegedly committed during 1999. According to our information, the indictees are members of families that have submitted official applications to return.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“The deterioration of the economic situation brought about by institutional violence may lead to the deterioration of the security situation and serious consequences for the local population wherefore greater attention and engagement by the international presence in the province, especially in northern Kosovo and Metohija, are called for. Indeed, it is in the field ofthe rule oflaw that various international governmental and non-governmental organizations often report that the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in Kosovo and Metohija continue to be the weakest links.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“The results of the work of the Privatization Agency of Kosovo in Serbian communities are evidenced most patently in the municipality of Strpce. Since the second half of 2014, the Agency usurped and liquidated the most important economic entities that accounted for most of the jobs and provided the livelihood to most of the people in the community. They include the Lola plant, Mladost department store, an agricultural combine, a veterinary clinic, Hotel Junior and the planning agency for a national park. These entities are now closed and their employees unemployed.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Inevitably, an effective resolution of the cases of illegal occupation of property is essential for security and the rule of law in Kosovo and Metohija; the serious shortcomings in addressing these cases threaten the unimpeded enjoyment of property rights. I cannot but observe that, apart from the thematic report of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo on fraudulent property transactions in the Pee region, no other mission, including the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), charged with monitoring the rule of law, addressed this problem. It is precisely this problem, it is said in a report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, that the Kosovo authorities and the international community should seek to resolve without delay.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“The obstacles run counter to the provisions and standards of relevant Universal and European conventions, while the property rights of the Serbs are violated all over Kosovo and Metohija even today, in particular by the sale of companies in Serbian communities. By and large, the economic situation of the Serbs and the members of other minority communities in the province is characterized by legal and physical insecurity and by numerous cases of usurped property that cannot be restored. A substantial part of the property of displaced Serbs has been sold in transactions in which forged sales agreements or false personal identification documents of alleged owners have been used. The Serbian community and the displaced Serbs, in particular, have therefore been much more vulnerable to economic vagaries and poverty.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“In its Kosovo 2015 Report, the European Commission says that authorities at local and central levels did not do enough to facilitate return and reintegration of refugees and internally displaced persons, while the OSCE Mission in Kosovo concludes in its report that full and effective institutional action on returns-related programmes at local and central levels continues to be hindered by a lack of strategic support from the range of Kosovo institutions involved and that relatively little has been done by municipal and central institutions to discourage such incidents, which inevitably have an impact on the sustainability of return and future interest in return. The non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija face serious and manifold institutional, legal, administrative and political obstacles regarding the protection of their property rights.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Similarly, in the Kosovo 2015 Human Rights Report issued by the Department of State of the United States, it is outlined that the return process remained chronically plagued by security incidents and by the reluctance of the receiving communities to accept minority returnees. The lack of security and marginalization of returnees often discourage returns.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“I call again on the United Nations and other sectors of the international administration in Kosovo and Metohija to help overcome the problems that hinder the return of IDPs and jeopardize their position, including continued personal threats and the usurpation of their property. We all, the international community included, run the risk of becoming gradually inured to the culture of impunity for the criminal offences committed against the Serbs and other non-Albanians. In the report by Freedom House, entitled Freedom in the World 2015, it is stated that ethnic Albanian officials rarely prosecute cases involving attacks on non-Albanians and that returning refugees face hostility and bleak economic prospects, and property reclamation by displaced persons remains problematic.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Let me also point out that, with regard to internally displaced persons, Serbia is strategically committed to fully supporting each and every person in his or her quest either for sustainable return or for local integration in the place ofdisplacement as the case may be. Yet, my country's support to potential returnees will be insufficient short of proper engagement by the Provisional Institutions of Self- Government in Pristina and the acceptance or at least tolerance of the returnees by the receiving community and an active role of the international community. The drafters of all future reports should bear in mind that those goals have not been fulfilled yet.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Nevertheless, the fact that inter-community incidents continue in Kosovo and Metohija on a daily basis sends a strong negative message to the members of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities. In view of the report's almost complete failure to mention ethnically-based incidents, let me point out just some of the incidents that did occur in the reporting period: assaults on returning Serbs and their property in the villages of Berkovo and Pasjane, the stoning of returnees' houses at Klina and Prizren, and the burning of, and the planting ofexplosive devices in, Serbian houses at Orahovac and anilane. Let me point out that measures to achieve durable solutions for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kosovo and Metohija, including the settlement and execution of their property and legal claims, need to continue to be taken.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“The assaults on the Serbian cultural and religious heritage and identity are painful evidence that the laws intended to protect and promote the community rights in Kosovo and Metohija are by and large dead letter. Only a serious effort on the part of all relevant actors to address all outstanding issues in a professional manner, in good faith and conscientiously, aimed at promoting normalization and creating conditions for genuine respect of human rights and freedoms for all may guarantee reconciliation, life together and respect for differences. It is said in the current report (S/2016/407) that, compared to January and February 2015, the number of recorded incidents against minority communities was reduced in the same period this year.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“This holy site, which was a frequent target of Albanians' attacks and which had served for years as a dump site, has been the subject of persistent attempts by the Pristina authorities to change the purpose of that location, even though it is registered in the cadastre as property of the Serbian Orthodox church. The scribbling of graffiti on the walls of the Saint Nicholas Church in Pristina glorifying the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the terrorist organization around which the entire international community has united to fight against, is another case in point. The message of the desecrators of the religious site in the heart ofEurope is "ISIL is coming".”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“More than half of these recorded incidents - 310 * affected the Kosovo Serb community, including returnees and the Serbian Orthodox church. They range from theft, verbal assault and severe damage to and illegal occupation of property, including cultural heritage sites and cemeteries, to incidents inciting hatred and aggressive nationalism and physical assaults or intimidation. The assaults on the cultural and religious heritage of non-majority communities are particularly damaging for interethnic relations. The case in point is the break- in into the Orthodox church in the village of Pejcici, municipality of Prizren, and the demonstrators' desecration of the Church of Christ the Saviour in Pristina after the demonstrations of the opposition in downtown Pristina last January.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Sadly, those in charge of law and order have failed to act in almost all cases, while the number of the legally valid sentences passed against the perpetrators remains minimal. The Community Rights Assessment Report of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo of November 2015 reveals that intercommunity tensions surrounding the return of displaced persons remain a recurrent issue. It goes on to say that in most cases OSCE monitoring identifies only limited municipal efforts to address those tensions and build confidence and trust, and that during the reporting period the OSCE recorded a total of 479 incidents in Kosovo that had the potential to negatively affect the security perceptions of communities belonging to a numerical minority at the municipal level.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“I therefore reiterate my call on the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, as I did in my last statement to the Council (see S/PV.7637), to explain why this information is not presented in his reports, whether that 1.9 per cent should be considered acceptable, and who stands ready to remedy it. The Special Representative would be well advised to present that information repeatedly in his reports, as one of UNMIK's key goals and objectives under resolution 1244 (1999) is precisely to facilitate such returns. Security incidents that negatively affect interethnic confidence and trust continue to present a serious challenge. Violence against non-Albanian communities - especially returnees - inevitably impacts their sense of security of and exacerbates anxieties among potential returnees.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Also of exceptional importance are the contributions made by other international organizations with mandates under resolution 1244 (1999), includubg the strengthening of security, the rule oflaw and respect for human rights in Kosovo and Metohija, especially those of the Serbs and other non-Albanians who, 17 years after the arrival of the international presence, continue to face numerous obstacles to the realization of their basic rights and fundamental freedoms. The ongoing presence in Serbia of over 200,000 internally displaced persons forced to flee Kosovo and Metohija, along with many security and other challenges faced by its non-Albanian population, speak loudly and clearly. Only 1.9 per cent of those 200,000 internally displaced persons have been able to return in a sustainable manner.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Serbia expects UNMIK to continue to fulfil its mandate under resolution 1244 (1999) in the coming period. In view of the overall political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the continuation of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, we believe that UNMIK must continue to carry out its mandate in respect of all the issues relevant to the consistent implementation of the resolution.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Mr. Daeic' (Serbia) (Spoke in Serbian; English text provided by the delegation): I thank you, Sir, for the attention you have accorded to the question of Kosovo and Metohija through the regular exchange of views in Security Council meetings convened to discuss this topic pursuant to resolution 1244 (1999). The status-neutral role of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is paramount to the process of coordinating the international presence and the stabilization of the situation in the southern Serbian province. I would also like to point out that UNMIK's strengthened presence and role are of particular importance to the Republic of Serbia and, especially, to the Serbs and other non-Albanians living in Kosovo and Metohija, all the more so in View of their confidence and trust in the Mission.”
2016-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7693 (2016) · source
“Participating in this dialogue is something we are determined to continue to do. I have had to intervene to react to the statements of Ms. Citaku, for they were not conducive to reconciliation; in fact, they were a step backwards.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“I should therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all the countries that have not recognize the independence of Kosovo - not because they did so as a favour to Serbia, but because that is in line with international law. I cannot wait to see the day when another country faces this problem. I have said that it is easy to speak of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other States. But this is not something on which this organ should be founded and based upon. I would therefore ask the representatives of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, when speaking to us in these meetings, to take into consideration one fact: Serbia cannot be a punching bag for the representatives of Kosovo's institutions. If they think that we are afraid of these meetings, they should know that our strength is not our weakness.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“I must warn that happened to us could tomorrow happen to any country. Please do not say that principles do not count. That is why we do not recognize the unilateral declaration of independence. If Kosovo were sovereign and independent, she would not be sitting here under this format as "Ms. Vlora Citaku", but would be "the representative of the Republic of Kosovo". If Kosovo were independent, it would sign an association and stabilization agreement with the European Union as a country, not as a territory. I did not want to raise this issue, instead I wanted to talk about what we have been able to achieve thus far and to look towards the future. However, Ms. Citaku has chosen not to do that and uses each and every opportunity and meeting of the Security Council to call on others to recognize the independence of Kosovo.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“One cannot conclude an agreement and then say "we need to consult our constitutional court"; if so, then we can consult our own court in Belgrade. A criminal charge was brought against me for that. When Ms. Citaku speaks about national minorities in Serbia, she cannot say that there are Albanian or Kosovar national minorities in Serbia. She cannot have the Albanian national minority on her behalf as well as on behalf of Albanians living in Albania. Ms. Citaku spoke ofthe right to self-determination, which she has already used: there is a State where Albanians live, and it is called Albania. She does not have that right, because she was a national minority in the former Yugoslavia and in Serbia and, without any agreement from the country from which she seceded, they unilaterally declared independence.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“She knows what happened in the Haradinaj case - all participants were either killed or are inactive. Whoever perpetrated the crime should be brought to justice. When we listen to the representative of Kosovo, we might conclude that there were no Serbs living in Kosovo and that only police and military officers are present there. However, she knows only too well that the Serbs were once a majority in Kosovo. Those are historical facts. She knows how many religious and cultural sites remain in Kosovo. I would ask her not to say that 200,000 Serbs are forbidden to return to Kosovo when she has no right to say so. Kosovo is not hers, and Kosovo is not mine. Kosovo is not Albanian, nor does it belong to Serbia. Kosovo is in the hands of the people who live there - Serbs and Albanians - and depends on their votes.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“We are not competing for an Oscar for our performance in the Security Council. I should therefore like to point out to the representative of Kosovo that no matter how many often we extend our hand, there is no one on the other side to accept that gesture of reconciliation. There has been no mention of the topic before us today - the current situation in Kosovo. What does Serbia have to do with Kosovo's problems in Pristina? What does Serbia have to do with Kosovo's inability to hold a session of Parliament without having to resort to tear gas? I have to say that the representatives of Serbia are the most active in Kosovo's Parliament. Serbia has no role and does not participate in Kosovo's political life. The representative of Kosovo cannot lecture us with regard to witnesses.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“Mr. Daeic' (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; interpretation provided by the delegation): I wish to react to statement made by the representative of the provisional institutions of Kosovo and Metohija. Before every Security Council meeting, the representatives of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States give us suggestions on how to act in the spirit of reconciliation so as to comport ourselves more calmly. Do they offer the same recommendations to the representatives of Pristina that they give to us? Do they expect us to sit here and listen to the most ferocious accusations directed against us and events of the 1950s and 1960s, when the former Yugoslavia and Tito were paragons of democracy compared to Enver Hoxha. We could go back even further in time to the fourteenth century.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“Our approach has made it possible for mutually acceptable solutions to be reached on many complex issues, from legislation to energy and telecommunications, in the interest, above all, of reconciliation and a shared future. We expect the European Union to continue to facilitate our dialogue with Pristina. For its part, the Government of the Republic of Serbia will undoubtedly continue to be actively engaged in implementing the Brussels agreement in the interest of the peace, stability and economic prosperity of the region.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“In conclusion, I would like to point out once again that the Republic of Serbia's national priority is to achieve a political solution for the question of Kosovo and Metohija. In order to reach such a solution, it is also necessary to achieve reconciliation. Serbia is therefore strongly committed to dialogue with the representatives of Pristina, facilitated by the European Union, within which very important agreements have been reached. My country's commitment to the process reflects its firm determination to make an active contribution to stability in the Western Balkans and the settlement of all outstanding issues by political and diplomatic means. It is exactly with that goal in mind, and despite the many challenges, that we have been constructive in the dialogue and ready to compromise, which has not often been easy.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“Hashim Thaci, which clearly defines the obligations of both sides, the main reason for the signing of the Brussels agreement was, in the absence of substantive progress in the realization of basic human rights for Serbs and members of other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija, to establish a separate mechanism that will make it possible for those communities to lead a normal life. In that sense, the idea of establishing the community of Serb majority municipalities draws intrinsically on the spirit of resolution 1244 (1999) as a mechanism, the primary function of which is to protect human rights, ensure the safe and sustainable return of all refugees and displaced persons and permit them to live a normal twenty-first century life.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“If the Supreme Court of Kosovo is tacitly accepted to be an institution empowered to alter a political agreement facilitated by the European Union reached at the highest level, the purpose of dialogue and the guarantee that every agreement will be implemented in the form in which it has been reached are thrown very much into question. It sends a negative message to the Serbian community, as well as to the European Union as a facilitator and to the United Nations. I would reiterate that my country's commitment to contributing to the stabilization of the situation in the region and to the agreement I signed with Mr.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“The community of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo is intended to articulate the interests of the Serbian population and provide an institutional mechanism for collectively realizing and protecting their basic rights and contribute to a continued and more rapid normalization of relations. In all reports of the Secretary-General, it has been asserted that a speedy establishment of the community of Serb majority municipalities is crucial for the implementation of the Brussels agreement. Yet so far the community has not been established. Instead of positive steps in that direction, a new element has been introduced contrary to the Brussels agreement, namely, the inclusion of the so-called Supreme Court of Kosovo in the process of review and de facto revision of the agreement.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source
“Four armed Islamists were arrested in January at the portal of the Visoki Decani Monastery, ajewel of Serbian, European and world spiritual and cultural heritage, which is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger. The Republic of Serbia is fully committed to the dialogue being conducted between Belgrade and Pristina and facilitated by the European Union and to the implementation of agreements reached. In the circumstances in which the Serbian people of Kosovo and Metohija live, they see in the covenants entered into by the European Union under the Brussels agreement the guarantee of their survival and development.”
2016-02-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7637 (2016) · source