Tadic: Serbia will defend its integrity
Serbian President Boris Tadic said Tuesday that Serbia would use all diplomatic means to defend its territorial integrity, and added that the Serbian Army was in good condition and ready to carry out all tasks.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, January 03, 2008
During a visit to the Presevo municipality, populated mostly by ethnic Albanians, Tadic said that the situation in southern Serbia was calm, but that Kosovo was one of the most sensitive zones in Europe that could be the reason for new instability.
Asked how Serbia would react if Kosovo declared independence unilaterally, Tadic said that international law, the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 and the Kumanovo Agreement, which ended the 1999 NATO bombing campaign, were the foundations of defense of Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"Based on Resolution 1244 and the Kumanovo Agreement, we are always prepared to engage our armed forces, with the approval of the chief commander of international forces - in this case the KFOR commander - which we will abide by," the Serbian president said.
"We will not fight a war that is actually a conflict with the whole world, but we are ready to react in accordance with international principles, and to take position and protect the population in line with international regulations," Tadic pointed out.
