08 December 2006

Kostunica: Ahtisaari needs to organize real talks on Kosovo

Radio Television Serbia, Belgrade, Saturday, November 11, 2006 13:11

 

Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica stated that the mandate of UN envoy for Kosovo status Martti Ahtisaari is not to think about election in Serbia but to enable real talks on Kosovo, which have not yet taken place.

 

"In any free and democratic state, the question of holding elections in an exclusively internal matter for that country. Ahtisaari's mandate is not to think about the elections in Serbia but to enable real talks on Kosovo, which not yet taken place, and to assist in finding a solution in accordance with the UN Charter," said Kostunica.

 

He emphasized that Serbia's position on Kosovo and Metohija is defined by the Constitution and verified by the sovereign will of the people, which means that every future Serbian Government will have a principled and consistent position on Kosovo. "Representatives of the international community, of course, know that the definitive position of Serbia, which no one can change, is that Kosovo has always been and forever remains an integral and inalienable part of Serbia because that is what is written in the UN Charter and the Serbian Constitution," emphasized Kostunica.

 

The Premier underscored that "since the Security Council will not violate the UN Charter, any unilateral application of legal aggression toward Serbia and the forcible usurpation of 15 percent of our territory would have unforeseeable consequence and endanger the stability of the region".

 

"Serbia will consistently defend the principles of international law and respect for both Resolution 1244 and the Dayton Agreement," emphasized Kostunica in a statement for Tanjug, following Ahtisaari's decision to delay submitting a recommendation on Kosovo's status until after the elections in Serbia.

 

Ahtisaari's decision an admission of his failure

 

Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica stated that the delay in proclaiming Kosovo's final status is a direct or indirect admission of the failure of UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari. "In the period that is now behind us, Ahtisaari did not succeed in making a single significant move with regard to the search for a sustainable solution for Kosovo and Metohija," Kostunica told reporters after a meeting of the Democratic Party of Serbia presidency.