Serbia’s Red Line
No Agreements with the EU, Unless Brussels Changes its Kosovo Province Policy
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica’s Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and its coalition partner, New Serbia (NS), want country’s accession to the European Union blocked unless Brussels changes its Kosovo province policy, according to the official DSS-NS statement released Saturday.
Premier’s DSS-NS coalition said Belgrade must not sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU, if the 27-member bloc continued pursuing severing of southern Serbian province of Kosovo-Metohija from the rest of Serbia.
Expressing concern over president Tadic’s DS party call for presidential elections on their own, without the prior agreement with DSS-NS and other coalition partners, while the EU officials are openly saying they will call for the recognition of the Serbian province’s independence right after the elections run-off (February 3), DSS-NS coalition has issued a public invitation to Tadic’s party to formulate common policy, in order to be able to support Tadic’s nomination once again.
Key Issues: Conditions for the EU Accession, Opposition to Illegal EU Mission, Decisive No to NATO
Coalition of Democratic Party of Serbia — New Serbia has analyzed the current position of the country and the results of the future status of Kosovo and Metohija province negotiations after the UN Security Council session on December 19. DSS-NS Coalition holds that the State Negotiating Team defended the interests of the country in the best way during the negotiation phase.
At the Security Council session, United States of America and few of the European states have blocked the joint initiative of Russia, China, Indonesia and South Africa, which Serbia strongly supported, to continue negotiations in order to find the compromise solution. In this way, USA and European members of the Security Council have blocked the UN Security Council from searching for a compromise. They have also announced unilateral implementation of the Ahtisaari plan for the “supervised independence” of the Province.
[...] The DSS-NS Coalition assessed that, at the moment, there are few extremely important issues we have to address, since the destiny of Kosovo and Metohija and the fate of Serbia as a whole, depends on them.
It is well known that the EU has decided, contrary to the legal norms and in contravention to the Resolution 1244, to send its mission for implementation of the rejected Ahtisaari plan on the territory of Serbian state, in Kosovo-Metohija province, in order to impose the supervised independence of Kosovo province. Clearly, ‘supervised independence’ is nothing but another name for the creation of a puppet state. DSS-NS Coalition is firmly opposed to the arrival of the EU mission and finds it necessary for this question to be entirely resolved, prior to the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement. Relations between Serbia and the EU are going to become seriously problematic in case the EU remains determined to create such a puppet state on Serbia’s territory.
DSS-NS Coalition is expressing deepest concern over the announcements of the significant majority of the EU member states that they will recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. This is why both DSS and NS insist that, prior to the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, a document be drafted which would unequivocally state that the EU, in accordance with its constitutive acts, guarantees and respects Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in its internationally recognized borders. It is essential that the EU applies to Serbia the same guarantees it gives to every other EU member. Therefore, DSS and NS firmly demand clear assurances that the EU would sign this agreement having in mind Serbia as a whole, and not a mutilated Serbia.
Cooperation and integration of Serbia into the EU, based on the principles that apply to all the other European states, is part of the policy and a common goal of both DSS and NS. No one should interpret this as a policy of isolation, but as looking truth straight in the eye and the expression of the most basic national and state self-respect. DSS and NS are convinced that drawing this red line of the national self-respect is the key condition of the very survival of our state and nation. We expect the EU to show proper respect for this principled position.
Next important issue concerns NATO and its role since bombardment of Serbia, up to the Annex 11 of the Ahtisaari plan. Why did NATO bomb Serbia and then brought its troops into the Province is best explained in the Annex 11 which defines NATO as the “final instance” of power in the puppet state called “supervised independent Kosovo.” Due to NATO’s role in the attempt to dismember Serbia and attempted seizure of 15 percent of our territory, DSS and NS are convinced it is necessary to declare military neutrality of Serbia in relation to the existing military alliances.
For DSS-NS Coalition, these are the most important questions at the crucial moment. If there is the interest on behalf of DS for formulation of the common policy during the upcoming presidential elections, we remain open to serious dialogue and sincere cooperation.
Tomislav Nikolic could Gain DSS-NS Coalition Backing
DSS-NS Coalition is, for the moment, refraining from nominating the New Serbia candidate—Minister Velimir Ilic—for the presidency. Depending on the Tadic’s DS response to their public call for agreement over the key issues and formulation of common policy, Premier’s party and its coalition partner might decide to back Tadic in the upcoming elections, nominate their own candidate, or support the Radical nominee, Tomislav Nikolic. The Radicals share the views with DSS-NS Coalition on the issues brought up in this statement in entirety.