YouSaid · the spoken record

Selaković

lines on the record: 85
first: 2021-10-15
most recent: 2022-10-18
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“It has been 3,470 days since the first Brussels Agreement was signed, and Pristina has not been forming any Serb- majority municipalities. Moreover, it has loudly said that it is not going to do that. It is a matter of respect for the accords and agreements. Finally, one very famous poet said that if someone is lying, they should lie in a way that ensures people trust them. Next time, Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz should take an approach from another angle if she really wants to have an effect other than the one she has created with her lies.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“When she is speaking about crimes committed, she should not forget to remind the Council where Hashim Thaçi, her former President, as well as Kadri Veseli are right now and what they are doing in the detention unit at The Hague. They are not playing cards or the game of Risk. They are there to be tried and, I believe, sentenced for the horrifying crimes they committed against Serbs and the other non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija. The Council adopted three resolutions before resolution 1244 (1999): resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998). In all three of them, the activities of her fellows were named as terrorism. And the members of the Security Council adopted those resolutions unanimously. We also heard it mentioned twice that Serbia is breaching agreements. That, of course, is not true.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Two referendums in the future could solve this, in Albania and Kosovo …”. The journalist asked him, “How would you vote in that referendum?” He said, “I think I would vote yes”. That project existed only during the Second World War, as a Nazi proxy State — so that concerns the promotion of Nazi ideology. My only message for Ms. Schwarz today is that she should not so be obsessed with President Vučić in such a way. Maybe it would be best for her to submit an application to become one of his pupils. He could teach her a lot about politics, diplomacy and international public law — and about the way she found herself here, in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999), which defined Kosovo and Metohija as a part of the territory of the Republic of Serbia.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“It has even been cheating the European Union, in getting its support for the project to renovate the house of a Nazi collaborator who was decorated by Hitler himself. That is clear evidence of the promotion of Nazi ideology and Nazi ideas. I will not even mention SS Skanderbeg, which was one of the very best and most brutal of Hitler’s units during the Second World War. However, Albin Kurti is the one promoting Nazi ideology. I will tell the Council how. I will quote him. He was interviewed by a journalist from Euronews on 16 February. The journalist asked, “You once said that you would support a great union with Albania. Is [that] still the case?” He said, “I believe that full independence implies also, independence from independence, so we could join a federation with Albania or an EU federation.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Is that not in preparation for aggression and to push what is left of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija out of Kosovo and Metohija? That is the only reason, and that is the real truth. Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz said that President Vučić promotes Nazi ideology of a so-called Serb world. First of all, we would never hear President Vučić saying that. Secondly, I will tell the Council who is promoting Nazi ideas. Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz can say if this is true or not. The so-called Kosovo Government has been preparing to renovate Xhafer Deva’s house. I will tell the Council who Xhafer Deva is. Xhafer Deva was a very famous Nazi collaborator during the Second World War. The Kosovo Government is working on a project renovate Xhafer Deva’s house in Kosovska Mitrovica.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Gërvalla-Schwarz’s statement, we can see that she is obsessed with our President, Aleksandar Vučić. She mentioned his name nine times in her statement. She said that he was preparing for an act of aggression but, at the same time, she made no mention of what Pristina is doing. For the past eight months, we heard continuous, systematic and repeated lies about President Vučić preparing for aggression, Belgrade preparing for aggression; that there will be an escalation of conflict on the ground and that Serbia is behaving like someone’s proxy or puppet. At the same time, Pristina was constructing four — I said, four — new special police troops bases in the Serb-majority municipalities. What is the reason for that?”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Mr. Selaković (Serbia): I must respond, as we heard a plethora of blatant lies from Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz during her statement. I would like to respond to just some of them. One of those lies was that she represents the youngest democracy in Europe. Have you ever heard of a democracy where people are banned from voting in elections? Twice this year, Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija were not allowed to vote. Another blatant lie was that 90 per cent of Serbian licence plates have been registered. I repeat, 90 per cent. There are more than 9,000 people who own vehicles in the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija. I repeat, more than 9,000. Only two of them registered their plates. Is that 90 per cent? Perhaps that is the best example of the blatant lies. From Ms.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“I emphasize that Serbia has always been, and remains, deeply committed to finding a sustainable solution by peaceful means for the sake of peace, stability and a common future.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Participants will notice that I posed many questions in my statement, and I express the hope that today we will hear answers to at least some of them from members of the Security Council and the representatives of Pristina, because the inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija of any nationality, whether they are Serbs or Albanians, deserve it. All inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija have every right to expect an improvement in the atmosphere and a reduction of tensions at the ethnic level, which are a prerequisite for a normal life. For such a step to be made, we need constructiveness, which is not lacking on the Serbian side, and the genuine support of international actors.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“That fact did not prevent certain countries from recognizing so-called Kosovo, thereby violating not only the principles of the United Nations, but also the resolution that they had adopted, by adjusting international law to their interests and goals. Precisely because of that, the increasingly frequent mentioning of the case of Kosovo is an indication that the precedent set opened a Pandora’s box, because the strength of each principle rests on its full and universal application and unconditional adherence.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“I would like to ask the members of this organ whether the need to implement the principles of the Charter of the United Nations applies only to some or to all of its Members? As a country that consistently respects international law and still suffers the consequences of it being violated, we believe that the United Nations Charter and international law, including the territorial integrity and sovereignty of States, should be respected by all and apply indiscriminately to all States Members of the United Nations. It was this organ that, more than two decades ago, adopted resolution 1244 (1999) (see S/PV.4011), which confirmed the territorial integrity of my country, the Republic of Serbia.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“In that regard, we support the efforts made by UNMIK, the Kosovo Force, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mission in Kosovo within their mandates. The Serbian and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija has the highest confidence in the international presence and considers it a guarantor of security, which further confirms that international missions need to remain engaged in an undiminished scope and capacity, in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999). In conclusion, I would like to point out that lately, in all international forums, we keep hearing calls for respect for the principles of the United Nations. We support the territorial integrity of all States Members of the United Nations. But what about Serbia?”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“In that way, are we rewarding Pristina’s destructive behaviour and refusal of dialogue? Our view is that the attempts of so-called Kosovo to join international organizations are an unacceptable act, and Serbia will work decisively against such steps. During the previous meeting in April (see S/PV.9019), we heard the calls of some members of the Security Council for the reduction, or even the termination, of UNMIK, with the explanation that Pristina had its own functional institutions. However, the circumstances that I have presented and the situation on the ground again remind us that the international presence in our southern province is still necessary.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“I remind the Council that the representatives of Pristina, although they often repeat in their statements that the case of the so-called Kosovo is a fait accompli, continue not to be recognized by the majority of United Nations Member States for 14 years now. If the so- called Kosovo’s independence is a reality, how come we have the dialogue? And how come Belgrade is faced with increasing pressure as regards the need for mutual recognition? What the current political leadership of Pristina refuses to accept is that Belgrade cannot be left out in the search for a final solution. The same also applies to the case of the increasingly frequent indications about Pristina’s upcoming membership in international organizations. Will those moves help to create the necessary atmosphere for dialogue?”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“It is clear that Pristina’s attitude towards that obligation reflects its attitude towards the Serbian people in the province. It also indicates that Pristina is against Serbian people being organized as an ethnic community, and thus exercising their collective rights. The aim of their approach, as a preferred model, is a community without Serbs, such as those in Pristina, Djakovica or Peć or similar localities in the province. For our side, it is unacceptable that Pristina has refused to fulfil its obligations and discuss the formation of the community of Serb municipalities for as many as 3,470 days, but I assure the Council that, regardless, Serbia will not give up on its efforts to find a compromise solution for the current situation.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“I believe that it is a duty of today’s leaders to create a clear common vision for future generations. Such a vision was shown by the leaders of Belgrade, Skopje and Tirana by creating the Open Balkan Initiative, an initiative from the region and for the region, which is already producing concrete results. Serbia has, on several occasions, reached out to Pristina in order to invite it to join that initiative. We counted on an awareness of the importance of economic connectivity and progress for the benefit of the citizens of the entire Balkans. However, our invitation was not met with understating from the other side. We categorically reject Pristina’s argumentation regarding the alleged unconstitutionality of the formation of the community of Serb municipalities.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“That is why the percentage of returnees is below 2 per cent and why it is still one of the lowest in the world. Let me pose a question — are those the characteristics of a fully fledged democracy and a factor of stability in the region, as that society presents itself to the world? We are aware that the dialogue has a wider dimension and that it can affect the situation in the entire region. That is reflected in every statement made by Serbian officials, including the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. “It is better to negotiate for 100 years than to fight for a day”. Those are the words of our President that best describe the policy of peace, reconciliation and regional cooperation pursued by the Serbian leadership, which is guided by the vision of building a common and prosperous future of the Balkans.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“How can that be justified as the fight against crime when special forces are used to raid village festivals, schools and kidnap drivers of ambulances transporting infusion containers and medicines? What are the motives behind those actions, and how can one justify them? Think of Ms. Dragica Gašić, the only Serbian returnee in the town of Djakovica. She is still not allowed to buy bread because of her origin and nationality, because she lives in a municipality that the local Albanians proudly consider forbidden to non-Albanians. As many as 11 Albanian civil society organizations are demanding her expulsion, as well as a ban on any non-Albanian ever returning to that town. That is the level of intimidation that Serb returnees are facing.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“When it comes to civil rights, the basic political and civil right to vote has been taken away from Serbs in the province, along with frequent intimidation and violent incursions of the ROSU special forces, which are an instrument for the implementation of Pristina’s goals, under the pretext of allegedly fighting crime. In December, Bratislav Nikolić, the President of the municipality of Štrpce, was detained for organized crime and corruption. He has not yet been charged, but is being held in a detention unit. The sole reason for that is to add yet more pressure on the Serbian community living in south-eastern Štrpce, a Serbian enclave in southern Kosovo and Metohija.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Numerous ethnically motivated incidents, hate speech, intimidation, violations of the right to a fair trial, threats to the right to the freedom of movement and religious rights and the desecration of churches and graves were recorded in the most recent reporting period as well. The frequent attacks on the sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church are also unacceptable, especially the shaming attitude towards Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage, including the four monuments inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Numerous administrative and technical barriers are being imposed on priests and monastic communities, making it difficult — even impossible — for them to survive on church properties.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“It is an undeniable fact that citizens’ protests represent a voice decrying many years of institutional violence and the deprivation of the rights of the non-Albanian population, which, in this case, is denied the right to the peaceful enjoyment of private property acquired in a legal manner. Pristina continues its attempts to confiscate property and, as is well-known, one of the targets is the Serbian Orthodox Church. By calling into question the return of property to the Visoki Dečani monastery, Pristina, paradoxically, is not carrying out the decisions of its own so-called Constitutional Court. I thought for a long time on how to best illustrate the true picture of everyday life of the non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija. I will mention only a few facts.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“That is another indicator that Pristina does not enjoy full support, but that, on the contrary, it continuously provokes the natural reaction of the Serbian population, which cannot endlessly be subject to the arbitrariness of temporary institutions. I believe that even today we will hear the already known narrative of representatives from Pristina trying to present every reaction of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija as an activity organized by Belgrade in alleged attempts at destabilization. Such claims are simply not true. Serbia, for its part, cannot in any way contain the unease present among the non-Albanian population of Kosovo and Metohija.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“I believe that even today we will hear from the representative of Pristina that its side has fulfilled all obligations, but the decision on re-registration of license plates shows that Pristina is not only failing to fulfil what has been agreed upon, but it is nullifying the results of the dialogue, creating a new crisis all over again. The effect of such forcibly imposed measures is best illustrated by the fact that, since the decision was made, a single-digit number of re-registered vehicles with Serbian license plates has been recorded, of which only two are Serbs from the north of Kosovo and Metohija.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Belgrade, I underline, was institutionally involved in the dialogue from the very beginning, while the commitment of the other side has varied and continues to vary depending on the political option that is in power. The harsher political rhetoric and narrative of the current leadership of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina are accompanied by concrete destabilizing steps. During the reporting period, measures on license plates were imposed, disguised as attempts at alleged integration into society. Let me remind the Council once again that there was no agreement on such measures in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“By continuously insisting on mutual recognition as a central part of the dialogue, the so-called policy of reciprocity demonstrates the essential unwillingness of the current political leadership of Pristina to find any compromise solution. Let me remind Council members that the talks between Belgrade and Pristina did not start with the most recent elections in Pristina, but have been in progress for 11 years since the technical dialogue started on 8 March 2011. Therefore, we deem inadmissible attempts to disregard the current format of the dialogue and annul the agreements only because they are not to the liking of the current political actors. It is unacceptable that the current geopolitical circumstances are being used to simply erase what has been painstakingly worked on for years.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Such conduct has not changed for the past 23 years, and it is completely contrary to the democratic values and principles that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government often promote in their statements. Therefore, I consider it necessary to emphasize that true political will by the international actors involved and by Pristina is necessary in order to create the conditions for the beginning of the end of discrimination on a national basis and common life in the province. I would like to draw the attention of Council members to the rigid, problematic and extremely irresponsible conduct of the other negotiating party within the dialogue. In achieving the goals I mentioned, Pristina applies the so-called policy of reciprocity, a well-thought-out, malicious strategy that, unfortunately, was not constructed independently.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“That is the case for Nikola Nedeljković, who was arrested for allegedly “inciting ethnic hatred and intolerance”, but actually his imprisonment was for attending the Saint Vitus Day celebration. Nikola was sentenced to eight months in prison without any material evidence. On the other hand, let me remind Council members that to this day there is not a single perpetrator held legally accountable for the more than 1,000 Serbs killed since 1999. Owing to planned intimidation, almost all towns and villages in Kosovo and Metohija are ethnically cleansed. Representatives of Pristina are ignoring the suffering and insulting the open wounds of the Serbs who had to leave their ancestral homes, and I underline, there are more than 200,000 of them.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“In all previous statements before the Council, Pristina focused on what happened in the past while failing to mention, which is painful to witness, how non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija are living today. Serbs are still intimidated in different ways and forced to leave their homes, villages and cities. Those displaced are discouraged from returning to where they were born and lived their lives. The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina work systematically to remove and erase as much as possible of the cultural and national diversity that is left. At the same time, Pristina is consciously fuelling inter-ethnic tensions using all available methods. Attending religious celebrations seems to be a crime in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“In addition, Pristina is actively working on administrative and bureaucratic obstacles by taking measures that were not agreed upon in the dialogue, the basic mechanism for negotiations and reaching solutions between Belgrade and Pristina. Pristina’s approach is problematic in many ways. The irresponsible conduct of Pristina is consciously sabotaging the efforts not only of Belgrade, but also of the European Union and other parties involved from the international community, with the clear intention of achieving two goals — the first is to avoid the implementation of assumed commitments; the second, the ultimate and far more alarming goal, is the intimidation, marginalization and persecution of Serbs.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“We advocate for its continued operation in an unchanged and undiminished scope and capacity, especially bearing in mind that the Mission has not yet achieved the main goal of its mandate — a peaceful and normal life for all citizens of our southern province. Unfortunately, the past few months have not brought more stability in Kosovo and Metohija, and the situation in the province is not exactly as it is presented in the report. The unilateral moves of Pristina continue to consciously and systematically deepen ethnic differences, causing discrimination against the non-Albanian population. To our knowledge, 105 ethnically motivated attacks have been recorded since the beginning of this year.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Mr. Selaković (Serbia): I am honoured to address this body once again and to discuss the most recent report of the Secretary-General on the work of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (S/2022/739). I would like to thank the Secretary-General and the Special Representative for submitting the report. We take note of the efforts that Ms. Ziadeh makes in performing her very responsible duty, especially bearing in mind the necessity of a comprehensive overview and the complexity of the situation on the ground. I also take this opportunity to underline that the Republic of Serbia highly values the activities of UNMIK in Kosovo and Metohija, established under resolution 1244 (1999).”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“We are willing to see there not only Albania and North Macedonia but also Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Montenegro; we have also invited Pristina, and they accepted that invitation in the Washington agreement. But after that, it was refused by Albin Kurti. I was not speaking about the goals of the Republic of Albania, with which we have very good relations, but I was saying that Albin Kurti is the one who was not willing to engage in a process of dialogue but willing to have a greater Albania. That is what he stated on numerous occasions. And just to end, I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for the occasion to refer to those words. But I have to say something more. Even Ukraine, which is, as is Russia, a country friendly to the Republic of Serbia, did not recognize so-called Kosovo, for the obvious reasons.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“If Serbs are protected, why is it that more than 200,000 internally displaced Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija cannot return to their homes, to their apartments? If they are protected, why for more than 15 years have there been more than 43,000 pending court cases on property issues, property that was taken by force from those Kosovo Serbs who are protected? Imagine how those who are not protected are living there. I fully agree with what was said by the Permanent Representative of the neighbouring Republic of Albania, of course, that we are willing to see open Balkans, including all non-European Union member States and entities from the Western Balkans.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“It is not good to allow someone’s tendentious and creative construction of a conspiracy to abuse this United Nations forum, because it can only harm the trial that is in progress in the Specialist Chambers for Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) war crimes in The Hague, putting additional pressure on key war-crimes witnesses, who are actually bearing witness about trafficking in human organs. On this occasion, Serbia praises Dick Marty for the courage he showed, aware of the danger he exposed himself to, when in 2010, in his report to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, he shared his horrific findings about the crimes committed by the so-called KLA. I also have to react to one sentence; I heard that “Serbs are protected in Kosovo”.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Mr. Selaković (Serbia): I have to react to what I heard about Mr. Dick Marty. The Republic of Serbia finds it unfortunate that unverified information was disseminated to the international public that caused great damage to the reputation of the Republic of Serbia and its intelligence services and all those who have performed their duties in full compliance with the law. The Republic of Serbia and its relevant security and intelligence services remain, as before, open to international cooperation with their partners and expect those claims to be checked as soon as possible.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The reason is very simple: she was representing only herself, not an independent internationally recognized country that is a State Member of the United Nations. And it is going to stay that way because their motive is in fact not to get independence. I would refer Council members to any interview given by Mr. Albin Kurti. The Council will then see that their final aim is to create a Greater Albania, not an independent so- called State of Kosovo.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“But it should also be noted that speculating on numbers does not contribute to the achievement of justice, but leads to politicization and slows down the reconciliation process. Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz said that they are a vivid democracy with huge potential in future and serve as a model of democracy. They are not even able to respect their so-called Constitution. Let me just note what is mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report with regard to the need to respect their so-called Constitutional Court’s decision on the restitution of the property of the Visoki Dečani monastery. That is just one of dozens of similar decisions. But it is not strange that she was speaking in that way.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Therefore, this idea and the attempt to reverse the well-known and often publicly proclaimed long-term aspiration and political goal of Albanian leaders from Kosovo and Metohija over the decades to create an environment with an ethnic composition that includes exclusively Albanians is cynical. The same is true of sexual violence against women. Every crime is horrible, but the data in the report that we are discussing today was collected on the basis of the work of the Commission to Recognize and Verify Survivors of Sexual Violence during the Kosovo War in Kosovo and Metohija. Since the establishment of the Commission in February 2018, a total of 1,656 applications have been registered, of which 149 have been accepted. The number of victims does not diminish the horrific effect of this type of violence on each victim, individually.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Such irresponsible claims jeopardize any possibility of progress in the normalization between Belgrade and Pristina between Serbs and Albanians. Finally, if one wants to talk about the ethnic composition of the population of Kosovo and Metohija, then and now we should clearly lay out the facts and say that over 90 per cent of persons living in Kosovo and Metohija today are Albanians and that Serbs suffered in recent decades from being victims of crimes and expelled from their centuries-old ancestral homes, forced to leave them due to intimidation, discrimination and threats. In support of that, we remind the Council that more than 200,000 internally displaced persons residing in the Republic of Serbia without the possibility or conditions for returning to their ancestral homes. Pristina and its policy are responsible for that.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Now, going on 24 years after this horrible crime, nobody has ever been prosecuted or sentenced. The same is true of the crimes carried out by the person named by Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz as the son who helped them. On 14 May 1999, NATO aircraft bombed a road between Prizren and Suva Reka, with a long column of Albanian refugees — killing 87 persons, all civilians, 10 newborns and 26 children under 15 years of age. The term genocide should not be abused, especially not for the political sensationalist purposes to which Pristina has continuously been prone. Such rhetoric, in general, arbitrary assessments and claims without any evidence are frivolous, unfounded in reality and serve the purpose of gaining cheap political points.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“While the President is building every day— bridges of cooperation in the region, such as the Open Balkan Initiative, the exchange of missing goods, giant infrastructure projects — Albin Kurti is destroying, mostly at night, by sending special armoured units, banning political rights and ruining the dialogue process. That is normal for him. Kurti has been one of the political commissioners of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), whose many victims are still awaiting justice. In June 1998, KLA terrorists attacked villages Retimlje and Opteruša, near Orahovac. Terrorists kidnapped 15 males from the Kostić family and killed all of them. The only surviving member of the family is the then-young Olgica Božinović Kostić. She was beaten and then raped. And she was the only survivor from that family.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Serbia is an independent sovereign State, with clear policy goals, including the European Path and respect for its traditional friends. The accusations against Serbia, claiming that it is serving as a proxy, are disrespectful of this organ and the United Nations. Serbia is a pillar of peace and stability in the region. That has been stated by the leaders of almost all of the Member States sitting here today together with us. As for regional stability and cooperation, the contrast between President Vučić and Albin Kurti has never been more stark and more obvious.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“She should pay due respect when speaking about the President of her country. It is the truth that so-called Kosovo is a result of a separatist movement, of terrorist activities, of drug trafficking and human organ trafficking. Ms. Gërvalla- Schwarz could teach the whole world lessons on how something similar must never ever recur. Ms. Gërvalla- Schwarz was speaking about butchers of the Balkans, but she failed to mention that the real butchers of the Balkans are the former so-called President of so- called Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and the former so-called Speaker of Pristina’s Parliament, Kadri Veseli. At this very moment, both of them are in the Hague, in the detention unit of the special court formed by Pristina for the crimes of the Kosovo Liberation Army, because of their unprecedented dimensions.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Mr. Selaković (Serbia): I have the obligation to react and respond to the words said by Ms. Gërvalla- Schwarz here today. Instead of speaking about the real problems on the ground and the lack of respect for human rights, about the abolition of political freedoms, about more than 200,000 internally displaced persons, about the desecration of churches, monasteries and cemeteries, about totally ignored crimes by Kosovo Albanians, without any kind of judicial epilogue, Ms. Gërvalla- Schwarz told us a story about her political wishes and goals, abusing this Security Council meeting in order to speak against the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and its role and against the President of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, who is, by the way, the President of her country too.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Serbia is committed to respect for international law and the full implementation of resolution 1244 (1999), which includes further UNMIK engagement and the presence of the Kosovo Force as a guarantor of peace and security. It is equally important that these international missions continue to operate in an undiminished capacity, taking into account what has been said in today’s debate.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“We are witnessing the opposite. Serbs are intimidated in various ways and encouraged to leave their homes, and displaced persons are discouraged from returning to their places of birth. Such a practice is not in line with the values and principles publicly proclaimed by Pristina. We would like to see clear political will and measures to prove that discrimination on national grounds is not a desirable social value in Kosovo and Metohija and that coexistence is possible and necessary. The fastest and most efficient way to do that is to respect valid international legal documents and concluded agreements. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the Republic of Serbia will continue to constantly draw the attention of the international community to the problems in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The cause-and-effect relationship between the issue of the return of displaced persons and the number of incidents on ethnic grounds is obvious. In such conditions, the reasons why there are still more than 200,000 internally displaced Serbs and other non-Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija in the Republic of Serbia are easy to understand. We are convinced that it is in that context, in particular, that UNMIK could and should play an important role. We welcome the Secretary-General’s call for enabling the return of internally displaced persons. To that end, concrete measures are needed to ensure, inter alia, the safety of returnees and full respect for the property rights of displaced persons. We did not get the impression that the institutions in Pristina have the political will to change the situation for the better.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Unfortunately, there are still many ethnically motivated incidents, hate speech, intimidation, violations of the right to a fair trial, threatening the right to freedom of movement and religious rights, the desecration of churches, monasteries and cemeteries. Instead of my spending a good part of Council members’ precious time listing them, a non-paper was distributed to them detailing the recorded incidents against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija during the reporting period. The number and nature of incidents — in the reporting period alone there were 63, according to our records — unequivocally speaks of the high degree of threat and exposure to continuous discrimination against the Serb and other non-Albanian population.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“On that same occasion, the employees in the municipality were informed that they were to no longer go to work, which jeopardized the existence of dozens of Serbian families. Pristina has been openly saying for a long time that the establishment of the community of Serb municipalities, envisaged by the Brussels Agreement, signed nine years ago, will not be allowed. That not only undermines the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, but also directly humiliates international actors, primarily the European Union. With such statements, Pristina sends a message to the Serbian people in the province that they should not count on the exercise of collective rights and that such disenfranchisement should ultimately lead to Serbs disappearing entirely from Kosovo and Metohija.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The malignant nationalism of the authorities in Pristina is manifested through the ignoring of the political representatives of Serbs in institutions, thereby making decisions without their participation, and the readiness to permanently remove the leaders of the Serb community through politically motivated investigations and judicial proceedings. That creates an atmosphere of complete insecurity and leads to the exodus of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija. To illustrate that, let me remind Council members of the events in the municipality of Štrpce on 21 December 2021, in which 11 Serbs were arrested, including former mayor and Vice-President of the Serb List, Bratislav Nikolić, who is still in custody under the alleged fight against corruption.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source