Byzantine Blog

Serbia’s Prime Minister: Battle for Kosovo is Battle for Serbia’s Freedom

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica’s address to the Parliament Assembly on December 26, on the occasion of proposing Kosovo-Metohija Resolution and State Negotiating Team Report to the MPs for adoption.

Honorable Parliament Members,

You have before you today the report of the state negotiating team so that you could get fully acquainted with all relevant facts on the negotiations thus far. Before you is also the proposal of the Resolution outlining directions for future work and committing state institutions to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia.

In my view, the latest UN Security Council session in which the report of the mediating troika was reviewed deserves special attention. It is my duty to inform you that in this session held on December 19, the will of the US and a few European countries blocked Russian initiative to continue the negotiating process, thereby blocking the work of Security Council on finding a compromise solution for the future status of the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.

At the same time, Western countries led by the US have stated that, following the presidential elections in Serbia, they would recognize unilateral independence of the province, based on rejected Ahtisaari plan.

US and UK Demonstrate Militancy and Zeal in Efforts to Cut Up Serbia

So, we find ourselves in the following situation: United States decided that no further negotiations are possible, with an explanation that only for Kosovo issue no compromise can be reached. Furthermore, US decided that a problem which Security Council started solving with its resolution, has to be resolved outside the Security Council and through a direct violation of the Resolution 1244, UN Charter and Helsinki Final Act. When all this is considered, it becomes impossible not to ask why US chose to openly destroy international law and dismantle the United Nations system.

I believe that no one thought for one second US is doing all this in the interest of the Albanian national minority in Kosovo-Metohija. That was best seen in the UN Security Council session in which Kosovo Albanian representative was all but invisible. The idea of unilateral independence of Kosovo was advocated and defended by the US and British ambassadors, with authentic militancy and zeal used only to defend own interests.

There can be no doubt that America is sinking the valid UN Security Council Resolution 1244 mainly in order to execute its own military and security interests. The US is consciously sacrificing Serbia’s state and national interests, as well as the essential interests of Kosovo Albanians, solely for the purpose of creating a quasi-state in which NATO would be the “ultimate supervisory authority” in an “independent Kosovo”, as cited in the Annex 11 of Ahtisaari plan.

Once a Symbol of Freedom, US is Turning into a Symbol of Brutal Force

To better understand this politics of force, we can set things like this: if we are to compare who has greater power, we accept that might is on the American side. But we also bear in mind the other side of the medal, that America, which at one point was seen as a symbol of freedom by the rest of the world, today through Kosovo example is more and more becoming the symbol of politics of force. Serbia cannot be happy to have this bullying force turned against us, but we can be at peace knowing that our strength lies in the respect of law and that we are defending the simple truth that Kosovo is Serbia.

We can also accept that today’s world is in a state where law has become almost meaningless for a number of countries, just like the truth, justice and dignity of the state and people. Maybe the violation of Resolution 1244 has already marked a new era in which the true values are force, violence, injustice, humiliation of the weaker and trade with national goods and state interests. Serbia has not joined to seize upon the benefits of this politics of force and we draw our strength from people’s will, which established the Constitution of Serbia and the position of Kosovo within Serbia. We find another pillar of support in the decision of National Parliament to entrust us with the task to defend Kosovo and Serbia, through law and justice. Therefore, while we admit that might is on the side of America, we can be sure that, when it comes to law, the things are completely in Serbia’s favor.

And here, in parliament, we can support this with firm evidence already presented to the whole world, namely: it was America and not Serbia that said negotiations should stop, while Serbia supports the continuation of negotiations; it was America and not Serbia that said no compromise is possible, while Serbia advocates reaching a compromise; it was America and not Serbia that said it will use unilateral solutions, while Serbia is explicitly against unilateral acts; it was America and not Serbia that said it will act in contravention to the decisions of the Security Council, while Serbia insists that all decisions must be brought by the Security Council; it was America and not Serbia that threatened to violate the valid Resolution 1244 and UN Charter through illegal recognition of the unilateral independence, while Serbia demands strict respect of the Resolution and the UN Charter.

Honorable parliament members, let us imagine that the roles are reversed and that it was Serbia supporting the above-listed positions on the Kosovo issue, advocated by the countries of the old western democracy. There is no doubt that all international media would immediately tie Serbia to the pillar of shame and even much crueler measures would have been applied. When one imagines such reversal of roles, that is when it becomes even more obvious to what extent is Serbia in the right, simply fighting for its own rights. Great Serbian Patriarch Pavle has left a legacy to his people never to commit injustice, not even when our own survival is at stake. These are the words Serbian Patriarch is sending to the entire world today.

No Generation of Serbs Ever Betrayed Kosovo

Because of all this, we must show more self-consciousness and self-respect for the fight which the entire Serbian people is leading in defense of Kosovo-Metohija. Kosovo has not been betrayed by a single generation of the Serbian people and each generation has defended it within the limits of their possibilities. This is why we too have to do what we can and must, what our duty and conscience commands. Future and better generations may do even more.

Honourable members of the parliament, I believe that we all, or almost all, share the strong joint devotion to the position that Serbia rejects once and for all any kind of the province’s independence and that this is Serbia’s first and final word. In this hour, our last line of defense from brute force and unilateral independence must be a strong resolution which Serbian parliament will adopt today.

This is at the same time a message to Kosovo Serbs that they have their government and their parliament in Belgrade, that they have absolutely equal rights to each and every citizen of Serbia, and that they should fully ignore the illegal document on unilateral independence and treat it as non-existent.

We Owe Immense Gratitude to President Putin and Russia

We are all well aware that all along Russia has been Serbia’s strong and faithful ally, that it defended international law and Serbia’s right to its territory in a principled manner. President Putin did not allow the Security Council to humiliate Serbia and make it the first state since the UN were founded to have its territory taken away. Had it not been for Russia, our struggle, in the eyes of the international pubic, would have been reduced from the supreme defense of our rights to a mere regional conflict in which two sides are fighting to achieve their particular interests. Creators of Kosovo independence had devised to mark Serbia with a stigma of being the only state allowed to be cut up into pieces and to call that, as they say, a unique and unrepeatable case, which would not be a precedent, because it concerns Serbia. All proposals of new resolutions, which were based on Ahtisaari plan and envisaged sending a EU mission to implement monitored independence, were prevented from adoption at the Security Council thanks to Russia and Serbia’s joint policy. We owe immense gratitude to Russia for this.

Serbs and Albanians Can Agree, but Americans Won’t Let Them

Honorable parliament assembly, the battle for Kosovo is the battle for Serbia’s freedom. It would be best to reach an agreement with Kosovo Albanians to live peacefully, freely and together, because Kosovo is big enough for all of us to realize our essential interests. This is, of course, in line with the values of multiethnicity upon which the entire democratic world vows. The problem is that apart from Serbian and Albanian essential interests, it is obviously impossible to satisfy American interests, which is why the US is preventing Kosovo Albanians from moving towards an agreement. Serbia will not give up the search for agreement, let alone give Kosovo up. Because we, as a people and state, are not free if Kosovo is not free, if it is not a province within Serbia, as the Constitution says.

Honorable parliament assembly, could Serbia give away a portion of its territory, could it give Kosovo away, in exchange for any other goal or interest? Whoever thinks it could, must first get the approval of the people to change the Constitution, before attempting to fulfill such intention. Until then, the Constitution orders us to see the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity as the first and highest constitutional obligation of all Serbian state institutions.

We Must Fight Because We Have No Other Option

The future of our country cannot be a crippled Serbia, our future must be a whole Serbia. Just like any other people, we must fight for our future and for the preservation of Serbia’s unity. If some countries think they have crippled us through unilateral independence, Serbia must show them in the upcoming years that for us, unilateral independence is but a puppet creation about to disappear.

We must fight for and win Serbia’s future, because we have no other path. Otherwise, tomorrow someone might just get the idea that already maimed Serbia can be further cut up, according to their moods.

The future of Serbia and the fate of Kosovo are permanently linked and it is therefore clear what we must do. As for Serbian parliament and all state institutions, in line with the Serbian Constitution, Kosovo-Metohija will remain an integral and unalienable part of Serbia. This is our duty which we must fulfill. Therefore, I call upon you, honourable parliament members, to vote for the proposed resolution for the sake of the preservation of Kosovo, for the sake of Serbia’s future and its freedom”, said Kostunica.