Raskovic-Ivic: Kosovo and Metohija will not be independent
Glas Javnosti daily, Belgrade, Thursday, 13 July 2006
Interview: Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, president of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija
No one serious in the world favors the option of an imposed solution, which is supported only by Albanian lobbyists and those who support them for various reasons. First there will be negotiations on future status
By Jelena Jevremovic
BELGRADE - Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, the president of the Serbian Government's Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija, said in an interview for "Glas Javnosti" that today's session of the UN Security Council, where Serbian premier Vojislav Kostunica and Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiju will confront each other for the first time, is important, just like every session of this body of the world organization. However, said Raskovic-Ivic, much more important than this session is establishing the course and direction of travel for the entire process of defining future status and also adjusting our strategy accordingly. The problem of Kosovo and Metohija is very complex to resolve in a single session.
What do you expect from the upcoming session of the UN Security Council? Will it be a key session for defining the final status of Kosovo and Metohija, all the more so because both the Serbian premier and the Kosovo president will be presenting their positions?
- Every session of the Security Council is important. This session will be important, too. I think it is far more important, however, to establish the course and direction of travel for the entire process of defining future status and also to adjust our strategy accordingly. The problem of Kosovo and Metohija is very complex to resolve in a single session.
Is it possible that premier Vojislav Kostunica's visit to Washington may bring some move in our favor?
- There was never any question of that. All of our senior state officials have had very significant and successful diplomatic initiatives. The prime minister is certainly ahead in these efforts. Many things have changed for the better. The visit to Washington is important and I am certain that it will be followed by improvements for the Serb side.
There is increasing public discussion that the UN Security Council will impose a final solution. Is this more likely than finding a solution by negotiations?
- That's not the issue. No one serious in the world favors the option of an imposed solution. An imposed solution is supported by Albanian lobbyists and those who support those lobbyists for various reasons. The increase in public discussion about an imposed solution, as you say, began the moment it became clear that the strong arguments are on the Serb side. Then the "spin doctors" paid by the Albanians and their lobbies tried to prove, at least virtually, that the discussion about Kosovo and Metohija was already finished.
One of the options being mentioned is "conditional independence"? What does that really mean and can we accept it?
- The members of the Serbian negotiating team, the prime minister and the president and all the relevant political parties have been repeating practically every day that no form of independence will be accepted. Moreover, we have emphasized that every form of independence will be rejected. From this it is clear that we will not and cannot accept this.
Should the prime minister and the president of Serbia negotiate with the leaders of the Kosovo Albanians jointly or separately?
- So far we have demonstrated a consensus with respect to Kosovo and Metohija, the negotiating platform, the team, the talks. This has obviously been achieved by common effort.
When do you expect the final status of Kosovo and Metohija to be announced?
- First there will be negotiations on future status, not on final status. There may be a wait of decades for the final status.
Is any of the Serbian officials ready to sign a decision if it's for independence?
- I think I already answered a variant of that question when I emphasized that independence will not be accepted, and that if something like that is discussed, then it will be rejected.
Are you afraid of a new exodus of Serbs if Kosovo and Metohija becomes independent?
- Kosovo and Metohija will not be independent.
There have been unofficial claims by both Serbs and Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija that in the event of independence, UNHCR is preparing to transfer Serbs to the southern part of central Serbia, and to relocate the Albanians from that region to Kosovo and Metohija. Is this in Serbia's best interest and will you accept such a scenario?
- Kosovo and Metohija will not be independent.
Is it possible for Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to have all human and civil rights and freedoms, and when?
- Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija have civil rights and freedoms. Namely, their rights and freedoms are no longer being violated but there are still consequences from previous violations of rights and freedoms. Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija do not have those rights, and that is alarming because their rights and freedoms continue to be violated. They will have both human rights and civic freedoms when the Albanian authorities and the Albanians stop violating their rights directly and indirectly. Serbs will have all rights when the authorities in Kosovo and Metohija govern in the spirit of the rule of law, and when those who hold offices in Kosovo and Metohija demonstrate that it is in their interest to build a society without discrimination, terror, ethnic cleansing, organized crime, trafficking, drug mafia, arms smuggling...
SERB PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING
Is it good that Milorad Pupovac is advising Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija and can the experience of their compatriot from Croatia help them not to make the same mistakes?
- I think that the situation in Croatia and the situation in Kosovo and Metohija is not the same. That is, the situations are paradoxically both the same and different and everything depends on from which angle you view the problem. Unfortunately, what they have in common, no matter what angle you are looking from, is that the Serb people are suffering. It's true that the Serbs made mistakes. Other peoples made mistakes, too. I think that the point, in this case, is not so much whether someone made mistakes but to what extent those mistakes have to be paid for. The Croats, the Bosnian Muslims, even the Slovenians, who should not be forgotten, made big mistakes, in some cases bigger mistakes than the Serbs but they were not punished for their mistakes. On the contrary.
DAYTON AGREEMENT IS BINDING
Is there a possibility that the fate of Republika Srpska will be tied to the final status of Kosovo and Metohija?
- Republika Srpska is confirmed and guaranteed by the Dayton Agreement which, just like Resolution 1244, is an international and binding document. Everyone must respect that so we don't have a situation where no one respects anything. Serbia is advocating respect for all agreements, signed international agreements, contracts, resolutions and we will never approach them in a selective manner. On the contrary, our approach will always be a principled one.
(Translated by sib on 17 July 2006)
Interview: Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, president of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija
No one serious in the world favors the option of an imposed solution, which is supported only by Albanian lobbyists and those who support them for various reasons. First there will be negotiations on future status
By Jelena Jevremovic
BELGRADE - Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, the president of the Serbian Government's Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija, said in an interview for "Glas Javnosti" that today's session of the UN Security Council, where Serbian premier Vojislav Kostunica and Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiju will confront each other for the first time, is important, just like every session of this body of the world organization. However, said Raskovic-Ivic, much more important than this session is establishing the course and direction of travel for the entire process of defining future status and also adjusting our strategy accordingly. The problem of Kosovo and Metohija is very complex to resolve in a single session.
What do you expect from the upcoming session of the UN Security Council? Will it be a key session for defining the final status of Kosovo and Metohija, all the more so because both the Serbian premier and the Kosovo president will be presenting their positions?
- Every session of the Security Council is important. This session will be important, too. I think it is far more important, however, to establish the course and direction of travel for the entire process of defining future status and also to adjust our strategy accordingly. The problem of Kosovo and Metohija is very complex to resolve in a single session.
Is it possible that premier Vojislav Kostunica's visit to Washington may bring some move in our favor?
- There was never any question of that. All of our senior state officials have had very significant and successful diplomatic initiatives. The prime minister is certainly ahead in these efforts. Many things have changed for the better. The visit to Washington is important and I am certain that it will be followed by improvements for the Serb side.
There is increasing public discussion that the UN Security Council will impose a final solution. Is this more likely than finding a solution by negotiations?
- That's not the issue. No one serious in the world favors the option of an imposed solution. An imposed solution is supported by Albanian lobbyists and those who support those lobbyists for various reasons. The increase in public discussion about an imposed solution, as you say, began the moment it became clear that the strong arguments are on the Serb side. Then the "spin doctors" paid by the Albanians and their lobbies tried to prove, at least virtually, that the discussion about Kosovo and Metohija was already finished.
One of the options being mentioned is "conditional independence"? What does that really mean and can we accept it?
- The members of the Serbian negotiating team, the prime minister and the president and all the relevant political parties have been repeating practically every day that no form of independence will be accepted. Moreover, we have emphasized that every form of independence will be rejected. From this it is clear that we will not and cannot accept this.
Should the prime minister and the president of Serbia negotiate with the leaders of the Kosovo Albanians jointly or separately?
- So far we have demonstrated a consensus with respect to Kosovo and Metohija, the negotiating platform, the team, the talks. This has obviously been achieved by common effort.
When do you expect the final status of Kosovo and Metohija to be announced?
- First there will be negotiations on future status, not on final status. There may be a wait of decades for the final status.
Is any of the Serbian officials ready to sign a decision if it's for independence?
- I think I already answered a variant of that question when I emphasized that independence will not be accepted, and that if something like that is discussed, then it will be rejected.
Are you afraid of a new exodus of Serbs if Kosovo and Metohija becomes independent?
- Kosovo and Metohija will not be independent.
There have been unofficial claims by both Serbs and Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija that in the event of independence, UNHCR is preparing to transfer Serbs to the southern part of central Serbia, and to relocate the Albanians from that region to Kosovo and Metohija. Is this in Serbia's best interest and will you accept such a scenario?
- Kosovo and Metohija will not be independent.
Is it possible for Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to have all human and civil rights and freedoms, and when?
- Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija have civil rights and freedoms. Namely, their rights and freedoms are no longer being violated but there are still consequences from previous violations of rights and freedoms. Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija do not have those rights, and that is alarming because their rights and freedoms continue to be violated. They will have both human rights and civic freedoms when the Albanian authorities and the Albanians stop violating their rights directly and indirectly. Serbs will have all rights when the authorities in Kosovo and Metohija govern in the spirit of the rule of law, and when those who hold offices in Kosovo and Metohija demonstrate that it is in their interest to build a society without discrimination, terror, ethnic cleansing, organized crime, trafficking, drug mafia, arms smuggling...
SERB PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING
Is it good that Milorad Pupovac is advising Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija and can the experience of their compatriot from Croatia help them not to make the same mistakes?
- I think that the situation in Croatia and the situation in Kosovo and Metohija is not the same. That is, the situations are paradoxically both the same and different and everything depends on from which angle you view the problem. Unfortunately, what they have in common, no matter what angle you are looking from, is that the Serb people are suffering. It's true that the Serbs made mistakes. Other peoples made mistakes, too. I think that the point, in this case, is not so much whether someone made mistakes but to what extent those mistakes have to be paid for. The Croats, the Bosnian Muslims, even the Slovenians, who should not be forgotten, made big mistakes, in some cases bigger mistakes than the Serbs but they were not punished for their mistakes. On the contrary.
DAYTON AGREEMENT IS BINDING
Is there a possibility that the fate of Republika Srpska will be tied to the final status of Kosovo and Metohija?
- Republika Srpska is confirmed and guaranteed by the Dayton Agreement which, just like Resolution 1244, is an international and binding document. Everyone must respect that so we don't have a situation where no one respects anything. Serbia is advocating respect for all agreements, signed international agreements, contracts, resolutions and we will never approach them in a selective manner. On the contrary, our approach will always be a principled one.
(Translated by sib on 17 July 2006)
posted by Snezana @ 14:23
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