Byzantine Blog

Serbia Ready to Cut Ties With EU and NATO Over Attempted Amputation of Kosovo-Metohija Province

Serbia must reject Kosovo province’s independence and cut all ties with countries and international organizations that recognize it as a separate country, Serbia’s ruling party has demanded as a condition for joining the new government, according to the AP report.

The platform by Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica’s Popular Coalition comes two days before a formal presentation of Martti Ahtisaari’s proposal for Kosovo which is likely to recommend “internationally supervised independence” for the southern Serbian province.

Premier Kostunica’s platform was handed to the outgoing President Boris Tadic Tuesday during key talks on the formation of a new Cabinet.

The document, made public Wednesday, said that Serbian Government considers Kosovo-Metohija province an integral and inalienable part of Serbian territory and it would reject a decision of any country or international organization to recognize independence of the province as illegal, illegitimate, and invalid.

As the second principle for protection of the Serbian province, the document points out that any country that would decide to recognize Kosovo-Metohija region as a separate state must bear in mind that this would have serious consequences on mutual relations.

“Serbia considers province of Kosovo and Metohija an integral part of its territory,” the document said, adding that any international recognition of Serbian province as a separate state would be considered “illegal, null and void.”

NATO 1999 Aggression Was Aimed at Hijacking of Serbian Province

The recognition of Kosovo-Metohija region’s independence by any NATO member country would seriously endanger Serbia’s relations with the alliance as it would mean that U.S.-led NATO three month air bombardment of Serbia in 1999 was aimed at snatching away Kosovo, the third principle of the platform points out adding that the three principles are essential elements for talks on the future Serbian Government.

Starting from the State Constitution, which defines Kosovo-Metohija province as an integral part of the Serbian territory, the Prime Minister’s coalition reminds that constitutional obligations of all state bodies to represent and protect interests of Serbia in the province in all internal and foreign political relations stem from Serbian Constitution.

A Prime Minister’s party official said the presented platform means that the next government would have to sever all ties with the states which recognize Serbian Kosovo-Metohija as an independent state.

Meanwhile, a Kosovo Serbian leader warned Wednesday that Serbs in the north of the province, along the boundary with central Serbia, could declare their own independence from Kosovo if the secession of the province from Serbia is imposed upon Serbian nation.

The Serbs in northern Kosovo “have their own infrastructure and institutions and it would be easy for them to declare ‘independence from independence’,” said Oliver Ivanovic.

Prime Minister’s platform requests that before a new Serbian government is formed, the parties must agree on a joint strategy to deal with the Ahtisaari’s proposal which was revealed to Western and Russian diplomats last week.

Throughout the election campaign, Kostunica has kept open the possibility of aligning himself with either Tadic’s circle or with the Serbian Radical Party which won the most parliamentary seats in the latest elections and has held the most principled stance regarding the preservation of the Kosovo-Metohija province within Serbia’s internationally recognized borders.

Despite Western meddling and overwhelming pressure, more and more Serbs openly favor Prime Minister joining the coalition with the Serbian Radical Party, since at this crucial moment in the Serbian history there is a wide consensus among Serbs that the emphasis needs to be on preservation of the Serbian state and essential national interests that cannot be compromised, rather than on superficial political tribalism and sticking to one’s own “colors.” In other words, having a state is a tad more important than having a “pro-European” facade.

Serbian Constitution Non-Negotiable

Slobodan Samardzic, a member of Serbia’s Kosovo-Metohija negotiating team, told Serbian television late Wednesday that “there is a push by the proposal’s author, Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, to come up with a recommendation that is opposing Serbia’s Constitution, which defines Kosovo province as its integral part.”

Ahtisaari presented his proposal to the United States, Russia and key European countries last week. After Belgrade and Pristina, his recommendation will be offered for further negotiations between the two sides, and then go to the U.N. Security Council for approval.

Samardzic and Kojen also told Serbian TV that Serbia would not negotiate its southern province’s independence.

“Anything that is beyond the rules of international relations, against international law and violates Serbia’s Constitution and internal laws, cannot be a subject to negotiation,” Samardzic said.

Kojen confirmed Kremlin’s support for Serbia, adding that Russia will use its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to block the resolution that would pave the way for Kosovo independence. Traditional Serbian ally, Russia has insisted that any solution for southern Serbian province must be acceptable to Belgrade.

Kojen concluded that “nothing will be done as Ahtisaari says unless Belgrade agrees to it.”

In Belgrade, Ahtisaari is likely to meet with the outgoing President Boris Tadic, even though Tadic has no power to discuss the solution for Kosovo-Metohija province since, before the new government is formed, his function is mainly based on protocol.

Ahtisaari will not be received by the Serbian Prime Minister Kostunica, who has refused a meeting. Kostunica said he is not entitled to discuss Kosovo-Metohija province before a new Serbian government is in place after parliamentary elections last month.

According to the Serbian Constitution and laws, no individual, regardless of his position in the government, has the power to make decisions on proposals such as the one Ahtisaari is about to present — only Serbian Parliament can define Serbia’s stand on the Finnish diplomat’s proposal. A new Serbian Parliament has yet to be constituted, in coming weeks.