Byzantine Blog

Serbia Organizes Elections in its Entire Territory

Kosovo-Metohija Minister Slobodan Samardzic said Wednesday that it is not Belgrade's intention to aggravate issues by organizing Serbian elections in Kosovo province, but to democratically elect representatives in the Serbian-populated regions, after the illegal declaration of independence by the Pristina separatists.

"The context has to be kept in mind: Belgrade does not recognize the unilateral independence of the southern Serbian province and we are now organizing elections throughout the territory of our state. Secondly, UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker has illegally and in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, transfered the authority for holding elections [from the UN Mission in Kosovo] to the temporary, provisional government in Pristina [Albanian separatists]", Samardzic explained to the representatives of 15 leading Spanish media outlets whose visit to Belgrade was organized by the Spanish and Serbian embassies and the Madrid and Belgrade delegations of the European Commission.

Samardzic said that the local representatives elected in Kosovo-Metohija will represent the actual Serbian government in the province by the time the political agreement between Belgrade and UNMIK is reached, enabling Kosovo Serbs to remain on their land and have security, as the full-fledged citizens of Serbia.

Imposed EU Mission Serious Problem in the Serbia-EU Relations

Editors and reporters of the most influential Spanish media such as El Mundo, El Pais, Tiempo, Tele Madrid, ABC, Europe Press and others, showed great interest and a lot of understanding for the situation Serbia is in, after the unilateral and illegal declaration of independence by the Pristina separatists.

Minister Samardzic expressed deep gratitude to Spain for its principled position regarding the imposed severing of the southern Serbian province, stressing the significance Serbia places on Spain remaining firm in refusing to recognize the self-proclaimed independence by the ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo-Metohija province.

He told Spanish journalists that the situation in the province has worsened since the unilateral declaration of independence and after this illegal act was recognized by some states, which have done so under the pressure of the US and few of the EU member-states.

Samardzic reiterated that Serbia does not accept the EU mission (EULEX), which was sent to Kosovo-Metohija without Serbia's consent, without the UN Security Council approval and based on the illegal documents, such as Ahtisaari plan, which was never adopted by the UN Security Council, or the so-called "common action". He added that this is why the EU mission represents not only the legal, but also a political problem in the relations between Serbia and the European Union.

Brussels Diktat Unacceptable

Samardzic said that the split within Serbian government occurred after direct meddling of the EU bureaucrats in Serbia's internal affairs, when United States tossed Kosovo-Metohija province "like a hot potato" over to Brussels. The EU took it over as its own problem and it is now insisting on solving it in an entirely un-European, undemocratic way, not by reaching the consensus, but by imposing the solution to one of the sides — Serbia.

He pointed that Serbia started the negotiations on the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU as a whole country, but since then two thirds of the EU member-states have recognized the self-proclaimed independence by the Pristina separatists.

"This is why the EU must clearly and indisputably state its position regarding what was done with Kosovo-Metohija", Samardzic said, adding that Belgrade still supports compromise solution for the southern Serbian province, offering the wide, essential autonomy to Kosovo Albanians, to the extent which is unprecedented in the world.

There are Many De Facto Situations...

Asked what is Serbia's response to the de facto independence of Kosovo province, Samardzic said that de facto is not the legal solution (de jure) and, as such, it is unacceptable to Belgrade. He added that there are other de facto situations, like de facto institutions in the areas populated by the Serbs, which are controlled by Belgrade.

"But Serbia does not accept de facto situations, and it requests that the negotiations for reaching a compromise and long-term solution are continued," Samardzic said.

He also rejected the idea of partitioning the province, stressing that official Belgrade never suggested anything similar and warning that partition is an extremely dangerous proposition in a region where Serbia is a central state, and where such drive could cause a chain reaction that would be very difficult to control.

Recommended: Can elections change anything?, by Nebojsa Malic (AntiWar.com)