YouSaid · the spoken record

President Tadic

lines on the record: 46
first: 2008-06-20
most recent: 2010-01-22
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

“For the extremists who will want to reject the opportunity that we shall have this year will in truth be rejecting the future we all must share.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“That will necessitate reconciliation and learning to live with difference. Some will be tempted by the comfort and seductiveness of the old ways. Yet nothing is more certainly doomed to failure, for that time has passed. It must never be allowed to return to the Balkans. I believe that 2010 can become the year of solutions. It can turn out to be the year when we resolve the status issue in a way that contributes to advancing regional priorities, such as membership in the European Union, within the framework set forth by international law. It can be the year of our success, our year of peacemaking. It is up to us - to this generation of leaders - to find the necessary strength to do the right thing.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“From the right of return to external representation, and from the six points to the future status, our collective experience in the nearly two years since the unilateral declaration of independence teaches us that denying the basic principles of European concord - such as compromise, concession and consensus-building - serves the genuine interest of no responsible party. There is no legitimate alternative to finding a way forward together. The unilateral declaration of independence was just another failed attempt to impose a one-sided outcome. Instead of bringing us closer to one another, it has driven us further apart. That is why it is unsustainable, and why we must now find the courage to harness the forces of moderation and rebuild bridges. We will have to overcome our prejudices and tame our passions.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“But that must not harm those who matter the most, namely, the residents of the province. Pristina's final solution for North Kosovo would not benefit those who live there. It would only satisfy the extremists who want everything that happens in Kosovo to be seen through the distorted lens of the unilateral declaration of independence. Should a choice be made to act on that proposal, we would justifiably expect KFOR and EULEX to protect the Serbian community in North Kosovo from that aggressive intent. We sincerely hope that it will not come to that.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“That strategy can be advanced only by the enforcement of a draconian and undemocratic set of measures on the Serbian community in northern Kosovo. Those who announced it - they and they alone - should bear responsibility for the destabilizing atmosphere that such conflict-inciting designs can only be meant to produce. The Republic of Serbia harshly condemns Pristina's unnecessary and hazardous provocations. That is not the way to constructively engage in overcoming challenges, especially given the enormous efforts of Serbia and other responsible stakeholders to maintain the fragile climate of stability throughout the province in the wake of the unilateral declaration of independence. I want to underline that it is clear that all parties have their constraints. It is all part of the reality on the ground.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“Should EULEX, KFOR or anyone else wish to condemn any authority in Kosovo, let them begin with those created unilaterally by the ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina without the approval of this Council and in clear breach of the principles of international order. In addition, I must draw attention to alarming news reports that have circulated about what has been termed a "final solution" for northern Kosovo. Sponsored by the so-called International Civilian Office, this plan outlines a number of coordinated policies and actions designed to impose acceptance of the unilateral declaration of independence on the Serbian majority in northern Kosovo. These unilateral schemes, intended to forcibly implement the so-called Ahtisaari Proposal, blatantly violate resolution 1244 (1999).”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“We feel that harsh rhetoric emanating from Pristina regarding legitimate Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo does not contribute to maintaining stability in that part of Serbia. By referring to them as "parallel", EULEX representatives, for instance, have not respected the explicitly status-neutral terms of their own mandate. And they have violated resolution 1244 (1999), the very basis of their legitimacy and presence in Kosovo under the overall authority of the United Nations. Such regrettable outbursts are unacceptable to the Republic of Serbia. The truly parallel institutions that operate in Kosovo are those created on the basis of the unilateral declaration of independence. Their existence is a violation of resolution 1244 (1999).”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“More than 200,000 Serb victims of ethnic cleansing continue to be denied the right of return. Regrettably, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian authorities seem to want to send the message that accepting the unilateral declaration of independence is a precondition to being beyond the arbitrary reach of the police. Despite such deplorable conduct, the Republic of Serbia remains dedicated to finding a way to overcome these and many other issues in status-neutral ways, consistent with resolution 1244 (1999) and the values and principles it presupposes. The Secretary-General's report draws particular attention to the situation in northern Kosovo, which it characterizes as "fragile." Serbia concurs with this assessment.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“Later, we were told that Minister Bogdanovie's very presence in southern Kosovo was somehow considered to be a threat to public order, despite the fact that he resides legally in the province. This is an absurd and dangerous claim for anyone to make in twenty-first century Europe. The status- neutral international institutions enabled by this Council to control the province's police structures have an obligation to prevent such abuses to the system for blatantly partisan, illegitimate purposes from taking place. Political disagreements on status should not result in provocative denials of basic human rights to anyone. Such a climate of zealous intolerance cannot but adversely affect what the report qualifies as an already very low number of internally displaced persons who have returned to the province.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“It is difficult to imagine how we can contribute positively to developments on the ground if our ability to work closely with the Kosovo Serb community throughout the province is hindered. Encouraged by claims made in previous reports that freedom of movement for Serbs was no longer a problem, Goran Bogdanovie, our Minister for Kosovo and Metohija, decided to travel to the Serbian enclave of Strpce without an escort. He was detained at gunpoint in a village near Strpce by over 40 ethnic-Albanian special operations police officers. This was a clear violation of resolution 1244 (1999). Heavily armed men told him that they were under instructions to escort him back to the administrative boundary line. Minister Bogdanovie asked why he was being forcibly deported, and no answer was given.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“The report before us today is entirely silent on the critically important issue of facilitating the entry and transport of Serbian officials within the province. From the adoption of resolution 1244 (1999) to the present day, Serbia has followed a well-established procedure designed to address the security concerns of senior officials moving about the province. We have often asked for escorts due to the heightened degree of risk associated with travelling in that unstable portion of our country. Regrettably, the issue has been increasingly politicized for more than a year. The number of positive replies to our requests for escorts has dramatically plummeted.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“Instead of working with the international community, Pristina chose a unilateralist approach consistent with the so- called Ahtisaari Proposal (S/2007/l68/Add.l) - a document that the November 2008 report rightly asserted was "not endorsed by the Security Council" (5/2008/692, para. 5). It is now imperative that we focus our energies on finding a way forward. As has always been the case, we remain in favour of establishing functional decentralization acceptable to all stakeholders. Pristina's election was a false start that will not lead anywhere. We need to work in concert through a status- neutral organization, such as the OSCE, to create a legitimate decentralization package designed to succeed.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“The Special Representative of the Secretary-General did not call it, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) did not monitor it and the United Nations did not certify it. Under such circumstances, it was simply impossible for Serbia to support the election because it was clear that conditions did not exist for a vast majority of Kosovo Serbs to participate in it. I also underline that the report paints an incomplete picture of a highly flawed exercise. It greatly underplays the level of fraud in Serbian areas and fails to account for credible evidence pointing to intense ballot-stuffing, voter intimidation and other grave violations of campaign and election-day procedures, such as disinformation tactics. All this is highly regrettable. An opportunity was missed to depoliticize this vitally important issue.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“We hope that, in the months ahead, we can come to workable arrangements with our UNMIK and EULEX partners within the framework endorsed by this Council in November 2008. The Secretary-General's report discusses at length local elections held in Kosovo called by the province's ethnic Albanian authorities. Much is made of the participation of a minority of Kosovo Serbs and of the unverifiable claims about the elections made by a non-governmental organization called the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations. We are greatly disappointed that the report is entirely silent on the fact that the election itself was entirely illegitimate, since it was not held in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999). The facts speak for themselves.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“Yet, we have regrettably not been able to move forward on issues such as determining the territorial jurisdiction of the court in Mitrovica, the appointment of judges and prosecutors designed to reflect the ethnic communities that they would serve, and the applicability of UNMIK law. It is high time for talks to intensify. Consensual solutions must be found, in accordance with the provisions of the November 2008 report. With respect to the delicate matter of customs, technical cooperation between Belgrade and EULEX has proceeded smoothly. Information is exchanged regularly on topics of mutual concern, such as smuggling. Unfortunately, we have not achieved progress on the much more fundamental issue of revenue collection and how it will benefit relevant communities.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“Is it possible that the international community is powerless to get that awful deed reversed? Does the will exist to undo that and other acts of cultural cleansing? Once again, we ask for the Council's help. Commitments made in this Chamber must be honoured in full. What is agreed in the Security Council and welcomed by it must be implemented in its entirety, from resolution 1244 (1999) to the Secretary-General's six-point plan. Unfortunately, real steps still have not been taken on the political implementation of the provisions related to, for example, the judiciary and customs, despite the clear readiness that we have expressed, time and again, to work out ways of putting into practice what has been mandated by this body. I start with the judiciary. There have been some constructive preliminary discussions with UNMIK and EULEX.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“The report brings to our attention a number of ongoing problems that have not yet been justly resolved. That includes the repeated refusal of local officials to restore the cadastral record of the Decani monastery - a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger. It also includes an incomplete list of desecrated graveyards - hate crimes meant to compound the physical destruction with an attempt to erase our every trace throughout Kosovo. Unfortunately, the report passes over in silence the fact that the ethnic Albanian authorities continue to defend the outrageous decision to pave over with concrete the remains of the Serbian church in the centre of Djakovica that has been destroyed twice. This is the fourth time that Serbia has raised the issue in this Chamber.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“We concur with the assessment that considerable progress was achieved on this sensitive matter during the reporting period. At the same time, we share the Secretary-General's disappointment that an agreement has not yet been reached. In that context, we welcome his readiness to "support any constructive initiatives by the European Union ..., including the appointment of an envoy" (S/2010/5, para. 49). We believe that an EU facilitator will be able to take appropriate measures to strictly enforce compliance by the authorities in Pristina on all matters related to the protection, conservation and restoration of our holy sites in the province. Regrettably, the precarious state of Serbian patrimony remains a deeply troubling part of the reality on the ground in Kosovo.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“Since the March 2004 pogrom, in which 35 holy sites were destroyed over a tragic three-day period, KFOR's direct responsibility for providing security to the Serbian Orthodox Church has been a success. We believe that proposals to hand over responsibility for guarding a number of these sites to local police units, as reported, would not contribute to improving the fragile security situation. That is especially important given the opposition to such plans clearly expressed by the monastic communities most affected. We would like to salute UNMIK's "efforts to find durable solutions aimed at the protection of Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo" (S/2010/5, para. 10), especially its engagement with the EU and the Reconstruction Implementation Commission, chaired by the Council of Europe.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“We gratefully acknowledge the positive role played by UNMIK and the European Union (EU) in preventing further unilateral action by the ethnic Albanian authorities. Serbia looks forward to the successful completion of technical talks between KEK and EPS, which ought to produce a satisfactory long-term solution, including a second provider. I come to the matter of the Kosovo Force (KFOR). Its unique ability to bridge existing communal divides and to maintain peace and stability on the ground, thanks to its status-neutral approach, remains acknowledged by all. The Republic of Serbia will continue to engage with all responsible stakeholders to ensure KFOR's role is not diminished, especially in the context of safeguarding Serbian patrimony.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“In sum, on the issue of external representation, Kosovo can and should participate in multilateral and regional forums, with the presence of UNMIK officials, who speak first and with either the UNMIK- Kosovo nameplate or a personalized one. No other arrangement will work, despite all the pressure to the contrary. Working within the framework of status- neutrality has also ensured that issues related to the supply of electricity to Serbian communities do not spiral out of control. As the report highlights, the Pristina-based Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) unilaterally cut off the supply of power to north Kosovo. Thanks to the timely response of the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS), a humanitarian catastrophe that would have affected up to 100,000 residents was averted.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“When it is honoured by Pristina, its voice in regional forums continues to be heard, with our support and encouragement. That will remain the only legitimate way for the province to participate in multilateral meetings. Unfortunately, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian authorities refuse to participate with UNMIK in the Central European Free Trade Agreement and other regional organizations, as the report makes clear. Such a policy by Pristina can only lead to self-isolation. We deeply regret Pristina's unwillingness to abide by the provisions of the region's free trade accord and, more generally, the binding procedures on external representation. We call on the province's authorities to reverse that counterproductive policy.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“For instance, the protocol on police cooperation between the Serbian Ministry of the Interior and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), signed a few months ago, has begun to be implemented. An annex to the protocol was signed in late November, a fact that the report did not mention. That has produced a welcome increase in the exchange of information on organized crime and terrorist activities in the province, an area that continues to be the hub of a sinister international network of traffickers in arms, drugs and human beings. On a number of other fronts, a shared dedication to status-neutrality by responsible stakeholders has ensured that: "The overall security situation in Kosovo remained relatively calm, but potentially fragile" (S/2010/5, para. 22). One example is UNMIK's external representation function.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“The constructive approach adopted by the United Nations and organizations that operate under its overall authority has set the stage for responsible stakeholders to act together on improving the lives of all residents in the province. That has been done by putting aside status considerations on a growing number of practical issues. My country has continued to embrace such an approach, in line with the provisions of the November 2008 report (S/2008/692). That has been recognized by the Secretary-General, who has written that: "UNMIK engagement with Belgrade continued to create opportunities for good-faith dialogue and for the development of solutions on a range of issues" (S/2010/5, para. 48). That has produced tangible results.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“We should all work together on achieving a common future, with all deliberate speed. As I made clear during my remarks over Christmas from Kosovo in the monastery of Visoki Decani, my message is one of peace, and one of reconciliation - between individuals as well as peoples. I would like to welcome the new members of the Security Council, as well as Special Representative Lamberto Zannier. The United Nations remains an indispensable actor in Kosovo. It is therefore critical that the Council continue to support the fully reconfigured presence of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as a crucial pillar of peace and stability.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“We believe that dialogue is the most effective means to achieve the only sustainable outcome: a mutually acceptable, Viable solution that will not recklessly sacrifice the geostrategic priorities of all on the altar of the communal aspirations of a single party. Serbia seeks to resolve all outstanding political differences through negotiations. We are fundamentally committed to making 2010 the year of peaceful solutions, as the next logical development following the Court's decision. And we are carefully examining all the possibilities. This will not be easy. The psychological barriers are high, and trust needs to be restored. A first step is to realize that the 19905 are gone for good. Contemporary Serbia is a democratic, forward-looking society that will soon join the European Union.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“This made it the largest case in the Court's history, and it demonstrated that Kosovo's future status remains an open, unresolved question. The International Court of Justice will deliver its conclusions this year, with overarching consequences for the international legal order. It is therefore particularly important for all to respect the fact that the Court has begun its deliberations. The judges' work should be allowed to run its course, without political pressures such as further recognition of Kosovo's UDI. Once the Court hands down its opinion, an opportunity will be created to find a way forward.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“As the report (S/2010/5) before the Council reminds us, the General Assembly tasked the International Court of Justice with determining whether the UDI conforms to international law. This has turned out to be a landmark case. It is the first time that the Court has been asked to consider the legality of a unilateral attempt by an ethnic minority to secede from a United Nations Member State in peacetime, in defiance of its Constitution and against the will of the Security Council. It is also the first time that all five permanent members of this Council have participated in a proceeding before the Court. During the reporting period, a crucial stage in the judicial process, the oral hearings, came to an end. A record number of countries presented their views.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“It has brought into question the fundamental tenets of the contemporary international system, while setting back efforts to consolidate the region's democratic gains. A substantial majority of United Nations Member States and of Security Council members have not supported the attempt to impose the forcible partition of a United Nations Member State. They have continued to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country. On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, I would like to reiterate our deep gratitude to the friendly Governments and peoples of those countries, for their dedication to upholding international law as we seek to resolve Kosovo's future status through law and diplomacy. Their solidarity will never be forgotten.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“We will help in the effort to rebuild the country through the material assistance our Government has pledged to provide, and by greatly increasing our presence in Haiti. Once again we are gathered to discuss the situation in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija. Almost two years ago, its ethnic Albanian authorities attempted to secede from my country through a unilateral declaration of independence, or UDI. Our principled position regarding our province's future status is set in stone. Serbia will never, under any circumstances, implicitly or explicitly, recognize the UDI. This is a constitutional imperative, as well as our moral, historical and, above all, democratic duty. On this fundamental point, our nation is united as one. The UDI has divided the world and the Balkans.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“President Tadic': Thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting of the Security Council in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999). Before turning to the issue that has brought us together, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the friendly Government and people of the Republic of Haiti - as well as to Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Secretariat - in the wake of the tragic earthquake that has claimed countless human lives and resulted in unimaginable destruction. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. As a contributor to the police component of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, the Republic of Serbia will continue to work with the survivors and with the international community.”
2010-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6264 (2010) · source
“Only such an approach can produce a sustainable outcome that will enable us fully to construct and integrate, and so to grasp the infinite opportunities that the Europe of the twenty-first century offers to all visionary crafters of a more prosperous tomorrow. That is why I see Europe as the key to Serbia's future success. I draw strength for this fundamental conviction from the solemn words of the preamble of the Treaty of Rome: "pooling their resources to preserve and strengthen peace and liberty". That is the kind of Europe to which we are committed, and to which we - and the entire Western Balkans - will belong very soon. Let there be no more divisions, no more discord and no more conflict. The time to strengthen peace and economic development is now.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“I have a constitutional duty to guide the process of the formation of the Government, which will be united in pursuing the policy of defending the integrity of our country and will implement the clear commitment of the citizens of Serbia to move decisively forward to full membership in the European Union. It will also have the duty to complete the process of full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague in the conviction that a stable and secure future for the entire Western Balkans lies in the European Union. The time has passed for us to be part of the problem of the Balkans: we want to be part of the solution. I would like to stress the importance of finding a legal way forward on Kosovo, acceptable to all stakeholders and approved by the Security Council.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“I want to make it abundantly clear that these funds, held in escrow by the United Nations to offset future claims by workers, mostly Kosovo Serbs, who have been laid off and Serbian companies as a result of the questionable privatization process undertaken by the Kosovo Trust Agency, are not the property of the authorities in Pristina. The United Nations must immediately take all appropriate measures to ensure that these funds remain in its possession and guarantee they continue to be available for their intended purpose. We must work together to produce a solution to this serious issue in the very near future. I now draw attention to the fact that the Republic of Serbia held parliamentary elections on 11 May.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“Accordingly, I must express my country's apprehension at the possibility that parts of the international community presence in Kosovo have chosen to participate in the formation and training of a quasi-military force. Such a wrong step would call into question the trust that KF OR has worked hard to attain among all the communities of our southern province, especially the Kosovo Serbs. I would like to raise another issue with this Council. This concerns what was perhaps the final negligent act by the outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Joachim Riicker. Just a few days ago, he issued an executive decision that initiated a process by which funds totalling more than â‚¬426 million could be illegitimately transferred to the authorities in Pristina.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“My country is therefore prepared to continue engaging in dialogue with the United Nations in order to arrive at a satisfactory agreement. Finally, I am concerned that an implicit shift in position by NATO took place in Brussels a few days ago during NATO's most recent ministerial meeting. While reaffirming its status neutrality and adherence to resolution 1244 (1999), it also announced that KFOR would undertake what it called "new tasks". I refer more specifically to NATO's intent to supervise the standing down of the Kosovo Protection Corps and to supervise and support the establishment and training of the so-called Kosovo Security Force, a new institution whose establishment has not been approved by the Security Council. This places it clearly beyond the scope of resolution 1244 (1999).”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“"Reconfiguration", to which both the report and the Secretary-General's letter to me refer, must be decided by the Security Council, which is 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. In addition, we agree that the six topics mentioned in both documents - police, judiciary, customs, transportation and infrastructure, boundaries, and patrimony - require pressing attention. Every day that goes by without working towards some sort of agreement on these and other issues raises the likelihood of the creation of unsustainable hopes and dangerous, uncoordinated outcomes on the ground.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“In other words, its mandate has not been fulfilled and its task has not been completed. Under those circumstances, the United Nations cannot, and must not, walk away. It is therefore the position of the Republic of Serbia that the course of action proposed in the report cannot give rise to a process that leads to a compromise solution on the future status of our southern province. That is why the Republic of Serbia cannot endorse the Secretary-General's report. Until the process envisaged in resolution 1244 (1999) to determine Kosovo's future status is complete, the international community, led by the United Nations, has to retain its central role in the maintenance of peace and stability in Kosovo.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“The unfortunate result has been the refusal of the municipal authorities of the town of Decani to restore the cadastral record as required by the executive order, which was issued under the authority of resolution 1244 (1999). United Nations officials in Decani have been assaulted after having been declared to be personae non gratae. This illustration of the callous disregard for the rule of law and the United Nations standards that we face throughout the province is implicitly taken up in the report through its assessment that "UNMIK will no longer be able to perform effectively the vast majority of its tasks as an interim administration" (S/2008/354, para. 1 7). This can only lead us to the conclusion that the United Nations mission has not been accomplished.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“Internally displaced persons have not returned. Jobs have not been created. Destroyed homes belonging to Serbs have not been rebuilt. Serbian private property has not been returned. Organized crime has not been reduced. Our cultural heritage has not become more secure. In fact, since the unilateral declaration of independence, things have gotten worse. The uncomfortable yet incontrovertible truth is that the "new reality" to which the report refers has caused a further deterioration in the already unstable situation on the ground. I will provide an example. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Joachim Riicker, finally agreed a few weeks ago to issue an executive decision restoring illegally seized land to its rightful owners: the thirteenth century Serbian Orthodox Decani monastery - a UNESCO World Heritage site.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“That usurpation by the authorities in Pristina of the mandate this Council gave to UNMIK is deeply troubling. Equally worrisome is the fact that the report gives an impression of acquiescing to an unjustifiable violation of resolution 1244 (1999). I am led to conclude that the report is an acknowledgment that an influential and determined minority can set aside considerations of international law in the name of appeasing an ethnic group that has been threatening violence if its demands are not met. That must not be the way forward. International peace and security can only be consolidated through dialogue, not imposition; through agreement, not compulsion; and through law, not threats. Since the unilateral declaration of independence, the human rights record in our southern province has not improved.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“It is in that context that I turn to a consideration of the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (S/2008/354) submitted to this Council and to the letter that I received from him dated 12 June 2008. The report refers to the emergence of a "new reality" (paras. 7 and 10) in Kosovo as a result of the unilateral declaration of independence. It also refers to the recent passage, by the provisional Assembly of our province of Kosovo, of a so-called constitution intended to implement the Ahtisaari proposal, which has not received the endorsement of this Council and therefore carries no legal weight whatsoever. The report states that "the constitution is designed in such a way that it would effectively remove from UNMIK its current powers as an interim civil administration" (para. 7).”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“That is why our National Assembly has declared the unilateral declaration of independence and all subsequent decisions stemming from it to be null and void, and that is why we have ruled out the use of force, while affirming our right to employ all diplomatic and political means to ensure that a so-called independent Kosovo does not join the world community of sovereign States. I want to be very clear. Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo. We will continue to work towards finding a legal way forward that seeks to bridge differences and to find a compromise solution to the long-standing conflict between Serbs and Albanians.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“It has also created an environment in which the international system as a whole is becoming more unstable, more insecure and more unpredictable. The potential damage to the founding principles of this Organization is becoming more apparent, as is the awareness that the legacy that the United Nations will pass on to the future generations will be tarnished. The Republic of Serbia, for its part, has taken a position entirely consistent with the fact that we were a co-founder of this Organization in 1945 - one that takes seriously international law and its aim of promoting peaceful, just and consensual resolutions of disputes.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“Equally important is the fact that resolution 1244 (1999) clearly places a binding Chapter VII obligation on all Member States to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country. A great majority of this Organization's 192 Member States have continued to abide by those principles and obligations. On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, allow me to express my profound appreciation to them for their commitment to the rule of international law and to state clearly my country's continued dedication to those same principles. There is a minority that has, unfortunately, chosen to support the attempt at secession by the Kosovo Albanians. That has put at risk the consolidation of peace and stability in the Western Balkans has and set back more than a decade of hard work by this Council.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source
“President Tadic' (spoke in Serbian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting of the Security Council. Once again, we are gathered to discuss troubling developments in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, which have been caused by the unilateral declaration of independence by its Provisional Institutions of Self-Government, which took place on 17 February of this year. It is the position of the Republic of Serbia that the unilateral declaration of independence directly contravenes the Charter of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final Act and other cornerstone documents upon which the international system has been built.”
2008-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5917 (2008) · source