YouSaid · the spoken record

J Ovanovie

lines on the record: 49
first: 1998-03-31
most recent: 1999-06-10
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“By opposing these provisions, the Security Council shall stand up in defence not only of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, but also of the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law and, by the same token, of its own authority as the highest organ for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“In doing so, the Security Council would not only be instrumental in a de facto dismemberment of a sovereign European State, but would also set a negative precedent with far-reaching consequences for overall international relations, in particular for the position of small and medium-sized developing countries. In that way, the Security Council would in fact support the nefarious theory of limited sovereignty and open the floodgates to the unimpeded intervention and interference of the mighty and powerful in the internal affairs of other States.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“They provide a broad authority to those who have conducted a total genocidal war against a sovereign and peace-loving country and legitimize the policy of ultimatum and diktat. In sub-item (a) and (b) of operative paragraph 9, the draft resolution requests in all practical terms that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia renounce a part of its sovereign territory and grant amnesty to terrorists. Furthermore, in operative paragraph 11, the draft resolution establishes a protectorate, provides for the creation of a separate political and economic system in the province and opens up the possibility of the secession of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In adopting the present text of the draft resolution, the Security Council would be writing one of the darkest pages of its history.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“In doing so, the Security Council and the international community would become accomplices in the most drastic violation of the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations to date and in legalizing the rule of force rather than the rule of international law. It is an historic anomaly that the victim of the aggression is being proclaimed guilty by those who are in possession of force and power and are in breach of all norms of international law and civilized behaviour among States, although the entire world public knows very well who is the victim and who is the guilty party. The solutions which are being tried to be imposed on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia set a dangerous precedent for the international community and a great encouragement to separatist and terrorist groups all over the world.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“This includes the possibility of their being renewed after three or six months, on the basis of a decision of the Security Council and with the agreement of the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The attempt to grant an open mandate to the United Nations mission is absolutely unacceptable to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, since this would amount to a gross violation of the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which otherwise is being reaffirmed by the proposed draft resolution. I must note with regret that the draft resolution proposed by the G-8 is yet another attempt to marginalize the world Organization aimed at legalizing post festum the brutal aggression to which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has been exposed in the last two and a half months.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“We consider that the mission must reflect equal, regional and political representation which includes participation by countries such as Russia, China, India and non-aligned and developing countries from various regions of the world. Yugoslavia requests that the commander of the military part and the head of the civil part of the mission be appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the basis of consultations with the Security Council and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as the host country. Also, the commander of the military part and the head of the civilian part of the mission should be directly responsible to the Secretary-General, that is, the Security Council. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia considers that the mandate and the duration of the United Nations mission must be limited in time.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The mission as a whole must be responsible to and report to the Secretary-General, that is, the Security Council of the United Nations. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia cannot accept a mission that would take over the role of government in Kosovo and Metohija or any form of open or hidden protectorate. Considering that the NATO aggressors have carried out brutal crimes against the members of all national communities living in Kosovo and Metohija, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is, on principle and for other reasons, against the participation in the United Nations mission by the countries that have taken an active part in the aggression.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia firmly believes that the United Nations mission in Kosovo and Metohija, which would include military and civil components, would have to have the mandate and authority of the United Nations and the Security Council. The mandate of the mission should consist of the supervision of the implementation of the comprehensive agreement on Kosovo and Metohija, the withdrawal of Yugoslav military and police forces, the return of refugees and displaced persons and cooperation with international humanitarian organizations in providing assistance to all in need of it. The mission must guarantee full security and equality to all citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, regardless of their religious and national affiliations, and prevent all violence, especially the resurgence of terrorism and separatism.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“It should contain a condemnation of the NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as an act in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and a threat to international peace and security; a reference to the reports of United Nations Under-Secretary-General Sergio Vieira de Mello and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, which should point to the civilian casualties and material destruction as consequences of the NATO aggression, and a condemnation of the use of inhumane weapons - cluster and graphite bombs and depleted uranium ammunition; a condemnation of the NATO bombing of foreign diplomatic and consular missions in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which represents a violation of international legal norms, especially of the 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents; provisions ensuring unhindered and safe passage of refugees - Yugoslav citizens that left the country because of the NATO aggression - and the procedures and criteria established by the competent Yugoslav Federal Republican authorities and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and respect for the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as necessary preconditions for the solution of all questions and a successful evolution of the international presence.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The solution for Kosovo and Metohija must fall within the legal frameworks of the Republic of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which implies that all State and public services in the province, including the organs of law and order, should function according to the Constitutions and laws of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia. The draft resolution should not contain provisions on the International Tribunal, considering that that institution has no jurisdiction over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and was not included in the principles of the Ahtisaari- Chemomyrdin plan.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“In that context, the Security Council draft resolution should contain the following positions: a firm and unequivocal reaffirmation of full respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; a political solution to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija that would be based on broad autonomy, in accordance with the highest international standards, such as the Paris Charter and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Copenhagen document, ensuring the full equality of all ethnic communities.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“This provides further proof that the aggressor is trying to marginalize and bypass the world Organization, as well as the G-8 principles, with the aim of achieving its final goal of occupying a sovereign part of the Republic of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In order to achieve lasting and stable peace in the region and to reaffirm the roles of the United Nations and the Security Council as the highest bodies for the maintenance of international peace and security, it is necessary to deploy the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo and Metohija on the basis of a decision of the Security Council and of Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations and with the prior and full agreement of the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“In that context, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia made on 3 June 1999 the decision regarding the acceptance of that plan, which confirms the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia and a role for the United Nations in the solution of the crisis. The Ahtisaari-Chernomyrdin plan provided for a conclusion of a military-technical agreement determining the timetable and routes for the withdrawal of military and police forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from Kosovo and Metohija, including the elements for the return of some of them to Kosovo and Metohija. Instead, we have faced NATO attempts to deploy its troops in Kosovo and Metohija by way of insisting on some political elements without a decision and a mandate from the Security Council.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“And thirdly, to restore to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a peace- loving and independent country and a founding Member of the United Nations and of many other international organizations, all of its suspended rights in the world Organization, international and financial institutions and in other international organizations and associations, as well as to lift all existing sanctions and unilateral restrictions and all other discriminatory measures. I call on the Council to receive this request with understanding and the necessary urgency. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia accepted the G-8 principles of 7 May 1999 and the Ahtisaari- Chernomyrdin plan for the political solution of the crisis.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“First, to point out the responsibility of the NATO member States for flagrantly violating the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and for the unauthorized and brutal bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which resulted in a massive humanitarian catastrophe, the destruction of the civilian infrastructure and the economy of the country, the death of more than 2,000 persons and the wounding of more than 6,000 innocent civilians. Secondly, to stress the moral, political and material obligation of the NATO member States fully to compensate the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its citizens within the shortest possible period of time for all the damage caused by the unauthorized and ruthless incessant bombing of the last 78 days.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“Hundreds of thousands of people are now jobless, and millions are without any income. By destroying pharmaceutical and chemical plants and oil refineries, by bombing national parks and using inhumane weapons, including depleted uranium ammunition, NATO has caused an ecological catastrophe whose consequences will be felt for generations. On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, I address to you, Mr. President, and to the members of the Security Council the following requests.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“Those who gave and carried out the orders for NAT O's aggression against Yugoslavia have over the past 78 days violated all known international conventions in the field of the law of war, human rights and fundamental freedoms. No civilian target was spared by NATO planes. For the first time, NATO designated as legitimate targets hospitals, housing blocks, refugee centres and convoys, media institutions and journalists, prisons, schools, kindergartens, business centres and shopping malls, buses and passenger trains, even foreign diplomatic missions. Set on intimidating and punishing the entire Yugoslav people, the NATO aggressors have destroyed the economy and the infrastructure, including bridges, roads and railroads, as well as power grids and the country's water supply system.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The actions of the Yugoslav security forces in Kosovo and Metohija have been taken within the framework of the legitimate efforts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to stamp out terrorism, aided and abetted from abroad and aimed at causing a sovereign part of the Yugoslav territory to secede. Instead of welcoming that step, NATO intensified the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, thereby causing a mass exodus of the civilian population from Kosovo and Metohija and other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. At the same time, by focusing its raids exclusively on civilian targets, NATO has caused untold suffering to the entire population of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“In that connection, on 6 April 1999, at the very beginning of the aggression by NATO, the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia expressed their unequivocal readiness, following the talks between President Milosevic and Mr. Rugova, for a political solution in Kosovo and Metohija to be reached in direct talks between the Government of Serbia and the representatives of the Albanian minority in Kosovo and Metohija. Also, on 9 May 1999, the Supreme Defence Council took a decision on the beginning of withdrawal of part of the units of the army of Yugoslavia and the special police forces from Kosovo and Metohija, following the elimination of the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The annals of the world Organization will therefore record the disgraceful fact that during 78 days of ruthless, savage aggression by the most powerful military organization against a small and peace- loving country, the Security Council could not bring itself to condemn and stop the aggressor. This is all the more so since the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia did not attack any of its neighbours, nor did it threaten anyone. Before and during the aggression, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had all along indicated its interest in and readiness for a political solution to the crisis that would respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country and enable the highest level of autonomy in Kosovo and Metohija, guaranteeing full equality for the members of all ethnic groups in accordance with the highest international standards.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia issued timely but unsuccessful warnings to, and requested protection from, the Security Council, as the key organ responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, asking it to stand up to the policy of force and diktat and to engage actively in favour of a peaceful solution to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. Under pressure from the countries that spearheaded the aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Security Council turned a deaf ear to Yugoslavia's repeated requests that the aggression be condemned and stopped.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“In that sense, the systematic destruction of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the killing of innocent civilians, which lasted two and half months, has been a denial of all of the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular of the principles of the settlement of disputes by peaceful means; respect for the sovereign equality of States, regardless of their size and political, economic and military might; non- intervention and non-interference in internal affairs; and the right to choose one's own road to internal development and international position. As one of the founding Members of the United Nations.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“After the unilateral, unauthorized military action by NATO against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - a State Member of the United Nations and a founding Member of the world Organization - which lasted for two and a half months, this question has finally been put on the agenda of the Security Council. Unfortunately, this was done only in the wake of great delays and of many civilian victims, destruction and a humanitarian catastrophe of a size unprecedented in post-war European history. The aggression was not directed only against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia but also against all peace- loving peoples and all those standing in the way of attempts to create a unipolar world based on the policy of force and the establishment of global hegemony and domination.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“Mr. J ovanovie: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the victim of the unilateral and brutal aggression of the United States of America and other member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has had two basic goals: to defend itself from that aggression, which it has done successfully, and to have the resolution of all questions and problems related to Kosovo and Metohija, an integral part of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, shifted from the track of war and destruction to the track of political decision-making and law.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“The call of some countries for solutions to be sought outside Serbia - or, as they say, within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - constitutes a violation of the territorial integrity of Serbia, a State which has been in existence for more than 13 centuries, much longer than even the first ideas of "Yugoslavness". The United Nations must not allow itself to be a confederate of those who loath the idea of one integrated Serbia as a republic of equal citizens. The Security Council should continue to uphold the noble principle that all countries, big or small, are equal. It should not harbour policies of force and double standards.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“As a signatory of the Helsinki Final Act and as a European country, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia accepts all standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and of the Council of Europe relative to the rights of national minorities, and is open to full and constructive cooperation. However, questions of constitutional and State organization, relations between various levels of government and relations between government and self-rule belong to the internal jurisdiction of States. Such questions are internal matters for each sovereign State and hence for Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Such questions brook no foreign intervention or internationalization. It is my firm belief that this position is in full conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Foreign diplomats and other representatives, and hundreds of foreign journalists and parliamentarians visit and travel up and down Yugoslavia and Serbia every day. Besides, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international humanitarian organizations and governmental and non-governmental organizations operate in Kosovo and Metohija undisturbed. These are facts that cannot be denied. Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia, and every problem arising in that Serbian province is an internal matter. Serbia is firmly committed to an unconditional dialogue with the members of the Albanian minority and to the solution of all questions through political means in accordance with European standards.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Separate invitations have also been extended to a number of countries to send their independent experts, who, alongside the Yugoslav pathologists and judicial authorities, would carry out that task. Official Yugoslav representatives have reaffirmed their readiness to cooperate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose office in Belgrade carries out its activities on the entire territory of Yugoslavia undisturbed. Terrorist actions and secessionist goals cannot be equated with the legitimate struggle against terrorism: the defence of a State, its sovereignty, its integrity and the safety of its citizens. Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have nothing to hide in Kosovo and Metohija.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“This was borne out also by the letter of 24 March 1998 to the ICRC President from the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Zivadin Jovanovie. Representatives of the ICRC and other humanitarian organizations operate freely in Kosovo and Metohija, which was confirmed also by the ICRC representative in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On 15 March 1998 the Government of the Republic of Serbia also extended an invitation to Cornelio Sommaruga, ICRC President, to send an ad hoc group of expert pathologists, composed of representatives of various countries, to Kosovo and Metohija to establish facts relative, in particular, to the allegations that civilians have been killed in the aforementioned anti-terrorist actions.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Considering that the limited action in the area of Drenica has ended and that the situation is stable, the special anti-terrorist unit, with its equipment and means, has been withdrawn to its permanent base outside the region. This has been affirmed also in the declaration of the new Government of the Republic of Serbia of 31 March 1998. The official judicial authorities have opened an inquiry aimed at establishing facts relative to the allegations that the police exceeded their authority during the anti-terrorist actions. Serbia and the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are quite open to cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which we consider the key humanitarian organization.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Upholding its principled position that it is necessary to regularize Yugoslavia's full-fledged membership in the OSCE, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has expressed its readiness to receive, on a contractual basis, an OSCE mission of longer duration. We would like to trust, in the objectivity of this mission, for we believe that it could contribute to spreading the truth about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is also ready to receive a personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and of the European Community to conduct talks with the representatives of the Government on questions of cooperation and normalization of relations.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“By its declaration of 31 March 1998, the new Government of the Republic of Serbia further reaffirmed the initiative and its openness to a genuine and unconditional dialogue and renewed its invitation to the leaders of the Albanian political parties to dialogue, for it is clear that no other solution is available. The agreement on the implementation of the Education Agreement is an important positive accomplishment. Besides, the Institute of Albanology in Pristina was officially opened yesterday by the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and made available to its Albanian users. This is the only institution of its kind for the Albanian minority in South-East Europe, and it is unique in Europe in the context of the exercise of minority rights by any national minority.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Since the Republic of Serbia is deeply convinced that procrastination and the delay of the beginning of a direct political dialogue are unjustified and harmful and that they block the genuine political process in Kosovo and Metohija, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Milan Milutinovie, issued on 18 March 1998 the declaration on the political process in Kosovo and Metohija, calling on the leaders of the political parties of the Albanian national minority in Kosovo and Metohija to embark upon a political dialogue without delay or conditions. The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, fully supported the declaration and designated his personal envoy to conduct dialogue with the representatives of the Albanian and other national minorities in Kosovo and Metohija.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Serbia, which, by its Constitution and laws, guarantees all rights to the members of all national minorities under the highest European standards - rights that are exercised by the members of 26 out of the total of 27 national minorities in its territory? Or is it the leaders of separatism who - by pressure, blackmail and even by recourse to terrorism - force the boycott of those rights?”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“A considerable number of influential Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija have also distanced themselves from separatism, condemned terrorism and displayed interest in seeking solutions through dialogue to all outstanding questions, as well as better living conditions in Serbia, alongside all other citizens. The leaders of some political parties of the Albanian national minority are the only ones who have not heeded the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia to unconditional dialogue. They continue to turn a deaf ear to the appeals of the international community to condemn terrorism publicly and to give up the idea of independence. Consequently, who is responsible for separatism and terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija or for the procrastination and delay of the dialogue?”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“The representatives of all other minorities that have lived in Kosovo and Metohija for centuries - the Muslims, Romanies, Turks, Croats and others - requested to take part in the dialogue themselves, since questions relative to their rights as well have been raised. Those requests are legitimate and have been accepted. The members of those minorities have publicly condemned terrorism; their lasting desire is to live in Serbia - a State of their own - and to solve all questions relating to the realization of their rights within Serbia and by political means.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“This is contrary to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and contrary to the interests of peace and security in Southeast Europe. It causes great damage to the lasting interests of the members of the Albanian national minority themselves in Serbia and Yugoslavia, as well as in other countries of the region. We recall that the Government of the Republic of Serbia has addressed a number of public and direct calls to the representatives of the political parties of the Albanian national minority for an unconditional, direct and genuine political dialogue.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“It is therefore very clear that there is no basis for invoking Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter or for taking any measure by invoking any other principle or document. The Contact Group is not authorized to create, by its statements, obligations, legal or factual, for the Security Council to establish the calendar of its meetings and decisions or to determine the content of those decisions. That would deal a serious blow to the dignity of the Security Council. The real threat to regional peace and security is the overt or covert support that, under the influence of Albanian lobbies in some countries, certain circles - permanent members of the Security Council - render to secessionism and to the leaders of the political parties of the Albanian minority in Kosovo and Metohija.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“This position is not based on facts, nor on law. It is designed to justify support for separatism and flagrant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, a Member State of the United Nations. The arbitrary pressure on Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is aimed at imposing a solution that is a direct threat to the territorial integrity of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A local anti-terrorist police action can never be qualified as a threat to international peace and security. The situation in Kosovo and Metohija is stable and does not threaten, nor can it threaten, in any way the peace and security of neighbouring countries or the region. There are no armed conflicts in Kosovo and Metohija.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“It is with regret and deep concern that we note that, by their activities, representatives of some permanent members of the Security Council encourage the separatism of the leaders of the Albanian national minority in Kosovo and Metohija. They are currently causing enormous damage to Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. However, that policy will bring no good to their own countries either, or to Europe or the world. On the contrary, it is counterproductive and dangerous for the international legal system and for all the countries and peoples of the world at the threshold of the third millennium. It is stated in the statements of the Contact Group and the resolution of the Security Council that the situation in Kosovo and Metohija threatens international peace and security in the region.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Those Powers dictate solutions to internal questions and decide who can and who cannot defend himself against terrorism and separatism. They even determine who must cooperate in the destruction of the integrity of the territory of one's own State. Sanctions are threatened, as well as military intervention, and the normal economic development and lives of millions of people are hampered - and all in the name of democracy and human rights. The Contact Group, by its policy, places itself over and above the Charter of the United Nations in an attempt to transform the Security Council, before the eyes of the world, into a body that merely executes decisions taken at some other place, and with a motivation that is different from the goals and objectives of the Charter.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Were the Council to recognize the right of some States to fight terrorism and deny that right to others in one way or another, or were it even to threaten punitive measures, it would then formally legalize the practice of double standards. It would have catastrophic consequences for the struggle against terrorism in general, erode trust in the Security Council and the entire United Nations system and allow international relations to be governed by the right of might instead of by law and principle. The positions taken by the Contact Group in London on 9 March 1998 and in Bonn on 25 March 1998 are tantamount to the pursuit of a policy of force and so- called gunboat diplomacy. Under the pressure of certain Powers, the Contact Group, by its policy, places itself above every Government and every principle.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“There is not, nor has there been, any armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija. Hence, there is no danger of a spillover, there is no threat to peace and security and there is no basis for invoking Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. There have been many much larger instances all over the world of not only police, but also military action against terrorists in which civilians have been frequent victims. Yet neither the Security Council nor any other international forum has ever seen fit to raise, in any way whatever, the responsibility of States that are defending themselves against terrorism and protecting their territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Council would be ill advised to do it this time.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Today's meeting of the Security Council and the adoption of a resolution are not acceptable to the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, since questions that represent an internal matter for Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are at stake. We consider that this internal question cannot be the subject of deliberation in any international forum without the consent of the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Such consent has not been granted. The pretext for this unprecedented action by the Security Council has been found in two anti-terrorist police actions in Kosovo and Metohija, the autonomous province of Serbia. The first was carried out on 28 February in self defence following the killing of four police officers in an ambush, and the second was carried out on 5 March against a terrorist stronghold.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“I trust and believe that it is apparent that the problems in Kosovo and Metohija are rooted in a separatism which, at this very moment, is publicly advocated by the representatives of some political parties of the Albanian national minority. This underpins terrorism, which has so far claimed dozens of human lives. It is the right of every State to defend itself from this evil, to protect its territorial integrity, public peace and order and the safety of its citizens. This right is not denied anywhere in the world and it cannot be denied to Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“It is the result of pressure and blackmail by some leaders of the political parties in Kosovo and Metohija whose public programme is secession from Serbia. Terrorist actions, the killing of Albanians loyal to Serbia, the assassination of public officials, attacks on public institutions and the ambushing of police officers such as took place on 28 February 1998, when four policemen were killed, are designed to intimidate ethnic Albanians into closing ranks, increase tension, attract the attention of the international public and "substantiate" the requests for mediation and internationalization. The ultimate goal is the secession of this Serbian land from Serbia. Simply put, Serbia cannot and will not allow that to happen under any conditions.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“For instance, they boycott municipal and local elections, the official census and political institutions, yet they are very active in exercising the right to private property, pensions and social benefits and the right to employment, passports, freedom of movement and private enterprise. The exercise of the right to information, for instance, is attested to by the fact that over 50 private dailies, weeklies and periodicals are printed in the Albanian language, the aggregate circulation of which amounts to 2.5 million copies. The selective boycott of some, and the exercise of other, rights is not the result of the free will of the members of the Albanian national minority, most of whom are responsible, loyal and law-abiding citizens.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Under the constitution and laws, all of them are granted the same civil and human rights: to their language, culture, media and religion; to elect and to be elected; and to participate in genuine political processes, from self-rule to republican and federal parliaments. All these rights are based on the highest European standards, including the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe Framework Convention. The members of the Albanian national minority are granted the same rights that are granted to other citizens. However, whereas all other citizens exercise their rights, a large part of the Albanian national minority boycott some of those rights - under pressure from and because of blackmail by their separatist representatives - and exercise others.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source
“Mr. J ovanovie: At the very outset, let me eliminate every risk of perceptive mistakes: Kosovo and Metohija is a Serbian province that has always been, and is today, an integral part of the Republic of Serbia. That territory has never been part of any other State. It is the cradle of the Serbian State, one of the oldest European States, the birthplace of Serbian culture and civilization. Besides the Serbs and Montenegrins, and besides the members of the Albanian national minority, members of other national minorities and ethnic communities - such as Muslims, numbering over 150,000; Romanies, numbering 150,000; Turks, Croats and others - have for centuries also lived in Kosovo and Metohija.”
1998-03-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3868 (1998) · source