YouSaid · the spoken record

Raskovic-Ivic

lines on the record
74
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2006-06-20
most recent
2006-12-13
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3
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un-security-council

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  1. “We also trust that the United Nations and the international community will not succumb to threats of violence and pressure to break up a democratic State. We are convinced that that would thoroughly undermine the very foundations of the international order. Serbia is resolutely opposed to any attempt to impose a solution to Kosovo and Metohija, since that would imply dividing the country and taking away a part of its territory. Since we believe that we embrace the same principles as those on which the legal order and the United Nations are based, we have no doubt that the Security Council will act in a just manner, applying the same rules and universal principles to Serbia that are valid for all members of the Security Council and States Members of the United Nations.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  2. “It is a compromise between two extreme positions: the status of Kosovo and Metohija prior to 1999 on the one hand, and independence on the other. It is the most concrete proposal that our side could have made, offering more than the standard autonomy that is known and practised in European countries. The proposal also calls for the conclusion of an international agreement that would be reached through status negotiations and would include basic principles and concrete provisions regarding the future status of Kosovo and Metohija. It would be signed and guaranteed by Serbia and the United Nations. Serbia is ready, together with the Security Council and in line with international norms, to make every effort to reach a compromise solution to Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  3. “In its first initiative - submitted to the members of the Contact Group and Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari on 19 May - my Government proposed that direct negotiations be started on the future status of Kosovo and Metohija. According to that proposal, direct negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on the status of Kosovo and Metohija would begin with a high-level round of negotiations and continue with a discussion of key elements that would crystallise the status and that would be conducted in four working groups, on constitutional matters, security, economic questions and decentralization. In its second initiative, submitted on 30 May, the Government of the Republic of Serbia presented a concrete proposal on the future status of Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  4. “The narrow space for a solution can be found somewhere between the situation in Kosovo and Metohija up to 1999 and independence. Independence is not a compromise; independence means merely succumbing to one ofthose two positions. Serbia is totally opposed to any redrawing of the borders and believes that any "either-or" solution - making one side a winner and the other a loser - would not be good. Our negotiating team, political leadership and general public deeply believe that a solution must be found through negotiations, that it must not be imposed and that both sides must engage more wholeheartedly and be prepared for alternative solutions. For its part, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has launched two initiatives aimed at providing new impetus to the negotiations.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  5. “The fact that no substantial progress has been made in the six rounds of negotiations on the future status of Kosovo is also a source of concern. Unfortunately, the flexible position of our negotiating team has not been reciprocated by the Albanian team, which has embraced a firm and single-minded position. Such a position serves more to fuel expectations and raise tensions among the majority Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija than to help find solutions to serious problems in the province. The tensions have also been heightened by certain representatives of the international community - UNMIK, among others - claiming that the independence of Kosovo is the only possible outcome, or even a fait accompli. Martti Ahtisaari has a narrow space in which to manoeuvre, but there is room for compromise.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  6. “In that context, we support the signing of the Protocol on IDP returns by representatives of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo and Metohija of the Government of Serbia and by representatives of the Pristina working group on returns. At the same time, I would like to point out that the conditions for returns will not be met by the Protocol, but by work in the field. As you stated, Madam President, today, 20 June, is World Refugee Day. It has been seven years since Serbs and other non-Albanians were expelled from Kosovo, and they are still waiting to come home. In that connection, it is worrisome that since the previous Security Council meeting on this item, held in February (see S/PV.5373), no tangible progress has been made in the implementation of standards.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  7. “We believe that the report before us provides a general assessment that the return and integration process continues to face challenges, but that it does not reflect the true picture of the problem. The assessment in the Secretary-General's report on UNMIK concerning the visible support of the Provisional Institutions in Kosovo and Metohija for the return process is unfounded. Special mention should be made of the report's observation that no progress has been made in the reconstruction of the property destroyed in March 2004. Of course, Belgrade supports all activities aimed at creating conditions for the return of expellees.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  8. “According to data of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 16,000 Serbian and other non-Albanian internally displaced persons have returned to the province; but according to the data available to the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo and Metohija and the Republic of Serbia Commissariat for Refugees, that number is only 2,000. Others have returnee status for largely administrative reasons. Take, for example, the case of the town of Prizren, where Albanians, Serbs and Turks - 12,000 members of each of those three national communities - lived before the war. Eight hundred Serbs are on the Prizren return list, but in fact only 16 Serbs live there.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  9. “My Government considers the conclusions in the report to be very important, particularly the following: "With UNMIK peacekeeping operations winding down and in the light of the widely held view that the United Nations will withdraw from Kosovo in 2006, the reluctance by senior Mission management to address fraud and corruption will have a devastating impact on public perception inside and outside of Kosovo, as the United Nations will be seen as escaping from the problems rather than solving them." (A/60/720, para. 46) My Government and hundreds of thousands of expellees are particularly concerned over the lack of progress in returns of internally displaced persons (IDPs).”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  10. “The failure to include certain facts in the report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services on the findings and conclusions with respect to corruption at Pristina airport (A/60/720) serves to conceal the real situation and to prevent the Security Council from gaining proper insight into the realities of Kosovo and Metohija and the effects of UNMIK's work.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  11. “In the context of the unjustifiably accelerated transfer of competences to the Provisional Institutions in the field of the rule of law, we consider that the establishment of the Ministry of Police and the Ministry of Justice and the accelerated transfer of competences from UNMIK to those Ministries at the time of the launching of the political process to address the future status of Kosovo and Metohija are intended to influence the outcome of the negotiations by supporting the request of Kosovo Albanians - that is, at prejudging the future status of Kosovo and Metohija. I would like to point once again to the observation in the comprehensive review of Ambassador Eide that the justice system is the weakest of Kosovo's institutions and that the further transfer of competences in those areas should be considered with great caution.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  12. “Considering the lack of progress with regard to the freedom of movement of minorities, the cessation of the operation of inter-city bus lines for minority communities because of budget constraints is of great concern. We also consider that the decision by the international police to cease police escorts for Serbian political representatives will lead to the further isolation of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  13. “We cannot agree with the assertion in the report that the security situation is stable, with a small number of inter-ethnic incidents. We express concern about the new wave of attacks against Serbian representatives, aimed at further intimidating the Serbian population right before the start of status negotiations. The current situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija and the deployment of new KFOR contingents in the area should also be borne in mind. I would like to believe that their presence will strengthen security and lead to the establishment of cooperation with the Serbian community and its leaders. I also hope that we will be able to launch a joint struggle against organized crime and violence in the near future.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  14. “They are merely a concrete and institutional response to the existing situation, in which the survival of the Serb community - and thereby the multi-ethnic character of Kosovo and Metohija - has ultimately been threatened. The activities of the working groups established on the basis of the outcome of the Vienna meeting in 2003 are an important aspect in defining future status and in the peace process. The resolution of the issues of missing persons, returns, transport and energy cooperation would certainly improve the overall situation and reduce the level of political tension. However, so far neither UNMIK nor Pristina has been overly enthusiastic about the process. In our View, the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija is extremely precarious.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  15. “Decentralization in Kosovo and Metohija is of great importance to the Serb community. It is not only about establishing closer links between citizens and the authorities, or about ensuring better and more efficient services to citizens. For Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, decentralization is a vital condition, enabling survival, security and return. That is why the Serb negotiating team proposed the strengthened self-government of Serb majority municipalities, horizontal ties among municipalities and direct issue-oriented and transparent ties with Belgrade. Those proposals have nothing to do with the idea of the division of Kosovo and Metohija, as claimed by the Albanian representatives.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  16. “Pervasive organized crime hampers economic recovery and presents a serious political, economic and security problem, as it primarily undermines people's faith in institutions. The participation of Serbs in the work of the Provisional Institutions is one of the topics addressed in the report - and one of the true problems. We consider that it is of the utmost importance for Kosovo Serbs to participate and to play an active role in the political life of Kosovo and Metohija, but only under the condition that their participation is meaningful, that it is not merely a matter of political decorum and that the out-voting of Serbs is prevented. That implies that those institutions must be democratic and that all interested parties should be engaged in working towards the democratization of Kosovo and Metohija society.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  17. “For the sake of comparison, I would like to point out that in post- Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina there have been fewer than 200 ethnically motivated incidents over the past 10 years, while the same number occurred in Kosovo and Metohija in the space of only seven months. The international community's proclaimed objective of making Kosovo a stable, democratic and multi-ethnic society is still far from being achieved. It has to be acknowledged that economically Kosovo is extremely underdeveloped: 600,000 able-bodied people, including 70 per cent of the young, are unemployed; the black market is flourishing; and human beings are trafficked and goods are smuggled. There is no rule of law and corruption is rife.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  18. “This spring, the brunt of the attacks shifted to northern Kosovo and Metohija - the municipalities of Kosovska Mitrovica and Zvecan. The attacks were committed mostly at night, with automatic weapons being used against vehicles known to ferry Serbs and other non-Albanians. Kosovo Albanian violence on 17 and 18 March 2004 demonstrated that stability in that part of Europe is fragile and that reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians is far from a reality. As many as 5,000 people were expelled, eight people were killed and 35 Orthodox churches and 935 homes were destroyed, as were 10 health institutions and Serb schools, in just two days. Six towns and nine villages have been ethnically cleansed. Of the 50,000 people who took part in the large-scale Albanian extremist action, only six men were remanded in custody.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  19. “From 25 October 2005, when negotiations were announced and the Albanians were sent a clear signal about the need to freeze conflict actions, until recently, there have been at least 200 ethnically motivated attacks - that is, there is reasonable suspicion that they are such - against Serbs and other non-Albanians, in which 2 people died and 26 have been seriously wounded. It is noteworthy that roads used by Serbs to travel from isolated areas have been targeted of late. Initially - at the beginning of last year - those attacks were focused on central Kosovo, on Lipljan and Gracanica. In the second half of the year, a series of 12 terrorist attacks was perpetrated on the road connecting Strpce with other Serbian communities, while buses on the road leading from the municipality of Gora to Prizren were shelled.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  20. “It is well known that human rights in Kosovo and Metohija have been violated on a massive scale. The very right to survival of Serbs and non-Albanians - a definite minority in the province - has been threatened. Every week - sometimes every day - we and UNMIK witness various forms of violence perpetrated against the non-Albanian population. I must point out that two thirds of the non-Albanian population have been expelled from Kosovo and Metohija. In reality, low-intensity extremist violence is tolerated in Kosovo and Metohija, and there is no progress in the reconciliation process among the in- conflict communities. Since June 1999, 929 Serbs and other non- Albanians have been killed or reported missing, and there have been 7,000 ethnically motivated attacks, 4,830 of them terrorist attacks. All of those crimes have gone unpunished.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  21. “I would like to recall that, in his comprehensive review of the situation in Kosovo (S/2005/635, annex), Ambassador Kai Eide rightly indicated that the only way to make progress is through the process of establishing future status and continuing the implementation of standards. Unfortunately, so far there have been no serious signs that any of those perfectly fitting and appropriate recommendations are being taken into account. Little progress has been made to resolve issues relating to property rights; returns have been almost frozen for a number of years now; and instruments for the protection of human rights and the rule of law are dead letters. According to a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 44,000 cases are pending before the courts, while 17,000 damage compensation claims are on hold.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  22. “We welcome the further encouragement of the dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, that is, with respect to achieving a solution regarding the future status of Kosovo and Metohija. For Serbia, that status is substantial autonomy within the internationally recognized borders of Serbia. However, I must point out that the report on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and on the activities of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (8/2006/361), which is before the Council today, is not sufficiently clear, mostly because it proceeds more on the basis of unrealistic expectations than of facts. The report does not accurately reflect the situation regarding the implementation of standards.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  23. “We deem it particularly important to reiterate that Serbia is absolutely ready to assume its share of responsibility in the process of a successful resolution of the issue of Kosovo and Metohija on the basis of international law and in accordance with modern democratic values. We come before the Security Council with full confidence, with the expectation that it will make its crucial contribution in the spirit of the documents it has previously adopted, primarily resolution 1244 (1999), of 10 June 1999, which unambiguously reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country. We are firmly convinced that the Council's future decisions also will be consistent with these fundamental United Nations principles.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source

  24. “I am particularly pleased to be able to greet those present here today and express my respect for this body. First of all, I would like to single out the singular importance of the Security Council as a guarantor for the preservation of universal principles of international law and the entire world order in establishing, building and ensuring future peace in Kosovo and Metohija and in the entire region of South-Eastern Europe. As the successor State to the former Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia is firmly convinced that only by consistent implementation of international principles, such as the inviolability of sovereignty and the territorial integrity of democratic States, is it possible to maintain and promote peace and stability in the Western Balkans.”

    2006-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5470 (2006) · source