Serbian prime minister's aide: Kosovo population has no right for referendum on the territory's status

REGNUM (RUSSIAN FEDERATION), 12:16 03/11/2006

 

"After the NATO aggression in Kosovo aimed against the Serbian population, major terms for armistice, according to the UN Security Council's Resolution 1244 of 1999, were maintenance of Serbia's sovereignty and Kosovo and Metohija autonomy. Correspondingly, recognition of Kosovo independence contradicts to the resolution adopted by the international community," Serbian Prime Minister's Aide Alexander Simic announced at a news conference in Moscow held under the title "Kosovo and Metohija status: autonomy or independence?", a REGNUM correspondent reports.

 

"Neither Basks in Spain, nor Scotts in UK, or Chechens in the Russian Federation have a right for separation, so why an exception should be made for Kosovo? Russian President Vladimir Putin says that principles and norms of the international law should be applied to Kosovo and announces that a decision that will be made by the Contact Group on Kosovo should be of universal nature. The norm of the international law on territorial integrity is also applied to Serbia and Kosovo as well. And this norm should be applied universally."

 

"As for a referendum on Kosovo status, de jure the territory's population has no right for it, as most part of its population consists of Albanians," says Simic. "In this case, all the national minorities can have a right for referendum on self-determination. So, the process of instability and fragmentation in the Balkans will continue."

 

"The Contact Group on Kosovo has assured that it would not exert pressure or impose any decision to the parties. We hope that the Contact Group will further stick to this principle and make a decision based on compromise between both parties," said the Serbian prime minister's aide.