YouSaid · the spoken record

Jeremic

lines on the record
177
first
2008-11-26
most recent
2011-11-29
sittings or episodes
10
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un-security-council

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  1. “It is also our democratic duty, for our nation is united as one on this fundamental point. The Kosovo case is a significant test for the world community, for there is a choice to be made here between unilateralism and consensus. The unilateral declaration of independence is a challenge that we must work together to overcome, for the sake of peace and stability and in the name of international law. The General Assembly tasked the International Court of Justice to determine whether the unilateral declaration of independence conforms to international law. The crucial stage in the legal process is just about 09-55956 to begin. This is the first time in history that the Court will rule on the legality of an attempt at secession by an ethnic group from a United Nations Member State in peacetime.”

    2009-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6202 (2009) · source

  2. “I thank you, Sir, for convening this meeting of the Security Council. Once again, we are gathered to discuss the situation in the Serbian province of Kosovo. I would like right at the outset to express my country's deep gratitude to the substantial majority of United Nations Member States that respect Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The expressions of solidarity we have received from all over the globe encourage us to persevere in our efforts to resolve the future status of Kosovo peacefully and in a way that is acceptable to all responsible stakeholders. Our principled position on our province's future status remains the same. Serbia will never recognize the unilateral declaration of independence by the ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina on 17 February, 2008. This remains our political, moral and legal obligation.”

    2009-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6202 (2009) · source

  3. “I am really not breaking any news to anybody here in the Council when I say that Kosovo is the hub of organized crime, not just for the Western Balkans but for all of Europe. There is a lot of work to be done there in order to combat organized crime. Serbia wants to work with the international community in order to curb organized crime in the province. Having said all that, I want to emphasize our intention to work constructively together with everybody in order to find solutions to practical problems on the ground, for the sake of the citizens of the province. We stand behind these remarks and look forward to a more hopeful future - a future in which all United Nations Member States of the Western Balkans become member States of the European Union.”

    2009-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6144 (2009) · source

  4. “It is not Serbia that fears this Kosovo Security Force; it cannot fear the Kosovo Security Force. It is the citizens of Serbia who live in the province who fear the Kosovo Security Force; that is their position. So I believe we need to do more to try to rebuild the trust of those people who have been living under those conditions since 1999. The reason why the do not trust any Pristina institutions, and why they are not taking any steps towards working with them, probably has to do with the way they have been treated in the past ten years. We do want to help everybody. We want to fight organized crime. I think that regional efforts should be made to fight organized crime, first and foremost in the province of Kosovo.”

    2009-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6144 (2009) · source

  5. “I really want to direct the attention of the Council briefly to the source of the figures that were mentioned in the intervention of Serbia: 206,000 is the official number of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is really unbelievable that here in this building somebody is doubting the official numbers of the UNHCR. That is the number of this Organization when it comes to the number of Serb internally displaced persons; it is not the number of the Serbian Government. As to the 40,000 unresolved claims for illegally seized property, that is the official number of the Kosovo Property Agency during the time it operated under UNMIK. The 40,000 claims are waiting to be processed; the people have not heard back. These numbers are quoted by international sources. We do really want to find ways of working together.”

    2009-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6144 (2009) · source

  6. “Having said all that, I really hope that this is going to be a very important step in our common effort, that we are going to move the process forward and that the reconfiguration is going to go forward according to the recommendation of the Secretary- General. It is important that we stay loyal to the decisions made in this Chamber and that we stand behind the Secretary-General's efforts. Serbia is going to continue to be a constructive participant in that. Serbia has demonstrated its constructiveness in that process. We intend to be a constructive participant in the future. I would like to close by saying that it is indeed the European future of the Western Balkans that all countries Members of the United Nations in the Western Balkans should look forward to.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  7. “I will keep repeating this: I do not think that a multi-ethnic, peaceful and democratic society can afford to burn and pave over churches. The number of illegally seized properties has not decreased at all. Solving such problems, I think, is what really makes a society democratic, peaceful and multi-ethnic. By the way, I would say that Mr. Zannier is the only totally and technically impartial person. I wish to thank him for his great effort to make this whole process possible. He has come from Pristina and his observation - correct me if I am wrong - is that Kosovo today is a deeply segregated society. In my opinion, "deeply segregated society" is the total opposite of "multi-ethnic". I would therefore like for us to reflect on the observation of Mr. Zannier, who has just come from Kosovo.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  8. “I think it is very important that many speakers mentioned the General Assembly and its work to engage the institution of indisputable legitimacy - the International Court of Justice. I regret the fact that the representatives of Kosovo Albanians regret the use of international law and institutions of international law. They have clearly expressed their regret that Serbia has decided to pursue that peaceful and legal path. I must take note of the fact that in recent months many people have started listing the great democratic achievements of the so-called Republic of Kosovo, noting that it has printed passports and passed a certain number of laws. But this is the third time that I have talked in the Council about a church that was burned and paved over.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  9. “The stronger the language used by the Council in endorsing and supporting the work of the Secretary-General that involves the reconfiguration proposal as well as the deployment of the European Union Law and Order Mission, in conformity with resolution 1244 (1999) and the status neutrality that is laid out in the report of the Secretary-General - the stronger this language is, the better the chance we will have to implement this important work that we need to do together. Many have said during this debate that 52 nations have recognized Kosovo, but no one mentioned the number 140, which is the number of countries that have not recognized the unilateral, illegal and illegitimate declaration of independence of our southern province.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  10. “I want to thank all the participants in today's discussion for their valuable contributions to our work. I think we are now getting close to a point where we can unite behind the Secretary-General and the report that he produced. I think it would be very important for our work today to conclude with the entire Council standing behind the Secretary-General's report with the strongest possible language. I invite the Council to support the report of the Secretary-General in the strongest possible language. I would like to see this report being implemented.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  11. “Sometimes it is tragedy that produces the opportunity to achieve new heights; but those heights are not reached by simply inventing new history. That is why Serbia will never, ever, accept the independence of Kosovo, come what may. New heights are achieved by honouring all that constitute one's national identity, not by denying it. New heights are achieved by nurturing heritage, not by suffocating it. Achieving new heights is about a nation being proud of its past while reaching beyond its present. Martin Luther King said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. It comes to all in the end. So it has always been, so it is and so it will be. And so will be Kosovo: part of Serbia forever. Thank you, Mr.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  12. “That is at the foundation of our democracy, our efforts at reconciliation and our belief in what we can accomplish together. They remind us of the importance of cooperation, compromise and consensus-building, while prompting us to remain true to the moral compass the values themselves provide for all who have the prescience to see beyond the first obstacle on the way. Serbia - a whole Serbia, including its sovereign province of Kosovo - now a member of the United Nations, will join the European Union in the next few years. We will join the European Union with our heads held high, with our territorial integrity intact and with our sovereignty preserved. Like most other nations, mine has travelled through periods of tragedy and periods of glory.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  13. “As Member States of the United Nations, I believe it is our solemn duty to seek the answers to them. 08-6204] In conclusion, I would like to say that quickly achieving full membership in the European Union will continue to be the central strategic priority of the Republic of Serbia. That should also remain the priority of all other United Nations Member States in the Western Balkans. The caravan of history that began its journey with the Treaty of Rome will not stop. We must make sure that no one is left behind as it goes by. We have been very clear as to who we are and what we want. Serbia continues to believe in the shared destiny of all European nations. We remain dedicated to embrace Robert Schumann's dream of an organized and living Europe that is indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations among States.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  14. “What of the fact that, according to United Nations figures, only 107 displaced Kosovo Serbs returned to their homes in the first nine months of this year? What of the break-in at the Kosovo Trust Agency compound by officials of the parallel institution known as the privatization agency of Kosovo, done in the presence of local police? What of the seizure of massive quantities of medicine and medical equipment destined for North Kosovo or the enclaves? What of the most recent stoning of Serbs in Kosovska Mitrovica and the use of automatic weapons by ethnic Albanians against unarmed Serbian civilians and international police? Finally, what of the repeated assaults on international civilian officials in Kosovo? Those and many other similar questions are disturbing indeed.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  15. “What of the defiance of the municipal authorities in Decani to restore the cadastral record of land belonging to the monastery of Visoki Decani, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and placed on its list of endangered places, notwithstanding two executive decisions by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General ordering them to do so? What of the return of illegally seized private property? More than 30,000 such cases are outstanding. Those affected - Kosovo Serbs in particular - barely manage in makeshift dwellings or camps for internally displaced persons, while Kosovo Albanians continue to live in their homes and make use of their agricultural fields without any fear of prosecution.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  16. “For many Serbs in Kosovo, their fate continues to depend on how they feel they can survive despite the enormous hostility of their immediate surroundings. The representative of the Kosovo Albanians is present today in his personal capacity. In his previous remarks to the Council, he claimed that Kosovo is an idyllic multi-ethnic place where democratic perfection is just around the corner. I therefore invite the Council to consider the following. What of the abominable act of cultural cleansing that is the paving over of the ruins of the recently destroyed Serbian church in the centre of Djakovica, thus compounding physical destruction with the attempt to erase every trace of its very existence?”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  17. “What is of great significance, however, is that the implementation of the six points, as well as the deployment of EULEX - which, to quote the report, "will fully respect Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and operate under the overall authority and within the status-neutral framework of the United Nations" (ibid, para. 50) - shall nonetheless be put into operation; and that it shall be done in consultation with relevant stakeholders, such as the Republic of Serbia. I call on the authorities in Pristina neither to obstruct the will of the international community nor to oppose the binding resolve of the Security Council. I take this opportunity to draw the Council's attention to the difficult environment in which the most endangered community in Europe continues to live.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  18. “The explicit language of the report confirms the status neutrality of the engagement of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), which is a guarantee that no part of its mandate can be devoted to the implementation of the Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo's independence, which was rejected by the Republic of Serbia and "not endorsed by the Security Council" (S/2008/692, para. 5), in the words of the report that is before us today. The Republic of Serbia gives its full consent to the six- point agreement and the conditions laid out for the deployment of EULEX. We welcome the Secretary- General's report and invite the Security Council to endorse it. I must confess my disappointment at the position that the authorities in Pristina have taken on the Secretary-General's report.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  19. “Serbia's long-standing position of support for the deepening of the European Union's engagement in any part of Serbia, including Kosovo, has never been at issue. The European Union can and should help to build the much-needed institutional and societal fabric of our southern province. That has been impossible until now because of the way reconfiguration began. What has always been a crucial condition for our acceptance of reconfiguration is the clear and binding commitment of the European Union, confirmed by the Security Council, to being fully status-neutral and to anchoring completely its presence in Kosovo under the authority of the United Nations, in conformity with resolution 1244 (1999). I am pleased that those reasonable conditions have been met.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  20. “After months of difficult negotiations, I am pleased to say that an agreement has been reached. Its provisions are detailed in the report we have before us. That dialogue will continue. Serbia will remain constructive in the ongoing dialogue with the United Nations, while holding to its principled position on Kosovo, rooted in our country's Constitution and in Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Our present achievement is of great significance. It creates the conditions to protect the well-being of Serbs and other gravely endangered communities in Kosovo, and it cements the fact that the Republic of Serbia remains indispensable to the self-governance of our southern province.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  21. “Just as with the universal declaration of independence, the Republic of Serbia responded in a non-confrontational manner. On 25 July, we addressed the Council to repeat our position that it is of "crucial importance [for reconfiguration to proceed] with the full engagement of Serbia. It must be completed with our acceptance and explicitly approved by the Security Council. That is the only way", we concluded, "to deliver legitimacy and ensure sustainability of our work" (S/PV5944, p. 6). Our point was clear: the voice of Serbia must be respected. On that basis, an understanding with the Secretary-General was reached in which a dialogue between Serbia and the United Nations would intensify on six topics of mutual concern: police, judiciary, customs, transportation and infrastructure, administrative boundaries and Serbian patrimony.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  22. “The second involves restoring legitimacy to international action in our southern province. On 12 June, the Secretary-General issued a report in which he informed the Security Council of his intention to begin reconfiguring the international civilian presence in Kosovo. This was done without the approval of the Republic of Serbia, the host country of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. And it was done without the endorsement of the Security Council, the only institution endowed with the power to legitimate changes in the composition of the international presence in Kosovo, as paragraphs 5 and 19 of resolution 1244 (1999) make abundantly clear. Ignoring the will of Serbia and infringing on the statutory prerogatives of the Security Council sets the stage for a crisis of legitimacy.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  23. “It adopted a resolution to refer the question of status to the International Court of Justice. Thanks to this support, an issue of such fundamental importance and complexity, which passionately involves all at once identity, boundaries, communal rights and opposing historical narratives, has been steered clear of resort to the force of arms for the first time in the history of our region. Referring this matter to the judicial arena was a reaffirmation by the world community of Serbia's strategic choice to respond to the universal declaration of independence peacefully and with maximal restraint. It is the first in a series of steps designed to create an environment in which lasting stability can be secured, law strengthened and the sovereign equality of nations reinforced.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  24. “The sui generis contention comes down to saying that Kosovo should be treated as exempt from international law and that Kosovo should stand beyond the rules that govern the behaviour of the international community. The Republic of Serbia strongly rejects this claim, believing that no one can claim the right to proclaim such exceptions, especially in defiance of the Security Council. Serbia's position has remained consistent. The only way to avoid challenging the territorial integrity of any United Nations Member State is for the world community to work constructively together to solve this issue through international institutions of indisputable and universal legitimacy. On 8 October, the General Assembly supported Serbia's position by an overwhelming majority.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  25. “Our nations stand together, dedicated to safeguarding the principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations. Serbia's insistence on resolving Kosovo's future status in accordance with international law has not only been invoked for reasons of vital national interest and constitutional necessity, nor merely out of genuine care for regional peace and stability. We have also done so out of a fundamental concern about the dangerous consequences the Kosovo precedent could have for the survival of the United Nations system as we know it. We hold that the argument that Kosovo is sui generis - in other words, a unique case - is untenable.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  26. “In all the meetings of the Security Council devoted to our southern province, Serbia has insisted upon the full respect of the binding obligations of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as this Council's resolution 1244 (1999), which guarantees the sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country. I make no apology for this. I celebrate the fact that Serbia is unwavering in its determination to defend its principled position on Kosovo peacefully, using all political, diplomatic and legal means at our disposal. We will continue to do so in the future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the States Members of the United Nations that support 08-6204] Serbia's position on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independent, the first among these valiant equals being the Russian Federation.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source

  27. “I am glad to be taking part in one of those occasions in which the errors of the past, carried out in the name of bare political expediency, can begin to be set aright through a series of acts characterized by strategic foresight, vision and prudence. We have the chance to engage in a common effort to attenuate the effects of a serious challenge to the foundations of the international system that took place on 17 February 2008. On that day, the ethnic Albanian authorities of Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija unilaterally declared independence from a State Member of the United Nations in direct violation of its democratic Constitution and against the will of the Security Council.”

    2008-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6025 (2008) · source