SERBIA URGED OSCE TO CONDEMN KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.02.2008 02:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Serbia’s foreign minister Vuk Jeremic urged members
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation to condemn Kosovo’s
declaration of independence and vowed Tuesday that the nascent nation
would remain a part of Serbia.

"We call on this body to condemn the unilateral and illegal declaration
of independence by the authorities in Pristina from the Republic of
Serbia by reaffirming the OSCE’s basic principles and values," he said.

Jeremic also appeared to lash out at countries who choose to recognize
Kosovo. "History will judge those who have chosen to trample the
bedrock of the international system, and on the principles upon which
security and cooperation in Europe have been established," he said.

By declaring independence unilaterally, Kosovo contravened
international agreements, including the UN Charter, Jeremic said. "If
this violation of the very nature of the international system is
not wrong, then nothing is wrong," he said, acknowledging that some
countries had chosen to ignore "this universal truth."

He had said Monday that Serbia would seek to block Kosovo from gaining
diplomatic recognition and membership to international organizations,
including the OSCE. Since the organization operates by consensus,
it takes just one country to block such a move.

"As such, we must act on the courage of our convictions, condemn
the unilateral declaration of independence by the Kosovo Albanians
and make sure that Kosovo is not granted a seat at the OSCE table,"
Jeremic said.

Jeremic said Serbia is ready – "at any time, in any place, in any
manner" – to engage in talks with Pristina to agree on a mutually
acceptable solution for Kosovo’s future status. "But we cannot give
them sovereignty. … For us, Kosovo is the crucible of our identity,
it is the essential link between our past and our future," he said.

Kosovo’s declaration of independence on Sunday came after two years
of fruitless talks between Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders. "The
Republic of Serbia did not consent, has not consented, will not
consent. For Kosovo and Metohija shall remain part of Serbia forever,"
Jeremic told the OSCE.

Speaking to reporters later, Jeremic added that any kind of
compensation offer for the loss of Kosovo was nothing but an "extremely
indecent proposal." "There’s absolutely no way that Serbia would be
prepared to exchange Kosovo for anything," including EU membership,
Jeremic said.

Serbia considers Kosovo its historic and religious heartland. While
it is willing to agree to wide autonomy for Kosovo, it refuses to
give it up entirely.

Jeremic warned that countries or organizations that recognize Kosovo
would have to face the consequences.

"We cannot imagine continuing normal relations with those entities –
countries or organizations – that choose to unilaterally trample our
sovereignty, our territorial integrity … our freedom, our pride,
our democracy," he said.

Jeremic also said Serbia had no choice but to start downgrading
relations with those who choose to unilaterally recognize Kosovo.

"We’re not blindly moving forward with punitive measures … We’re
taking into account our resources, our weight, and the alliances
and the support and partnerships that we have," Jeremic said, The
Associated Press reports.