Belgrade, Kosovo Serbs reject Ban’s proposal
Belgrade and the Kosovo Serbs rejected the statement by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the restructuring of the UN mission in Kosovo, and argued this was contrary to Security Council Resolution 1244.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, June 13, 2008
In an answer to Ban, Serbian President Boris Tadic said that the "reconfiguration of the international presence should be decided by the UN Security Council".
"We agree that the six proposed areas discussed in your letter require specific attention. We are ready to continue engaging in a dialogue with the UN in order to achieve a satisfactory answer", Tadic underlined.
"I recall that on December 26 the Serbian parliament adopted a resolution which stated that deploying the EULEX mission to implement Ahtisaari's rejected plan would undermine Serbia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and the Serbian Constitution", Serbian Prime Minister Kostunica pointed out.
"Considering the fact that EULEX is to be deployed to implement Ahtisaari's plan for an independent Kosovo, it is obvious that sending the mission will directly violate Resolution 1244, according to which international forces cannot aim to establish an independent Kosovo", Kostunica said.
Serbian Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic said on Friday that the only body that is authorised to decide on a change of the nature of international presence in Kosovo was the UN Security Council.
Samardzic also slammed the announced adoption of the Kosovo consitution and announced a countermove in the form of "constitution of a Serb parliament in Kosovo."
The parliament would "have a representative political character, it would comprise of the deputies of all municipal assemblies, but would have no executive legislative function," Samardzic said.
He announced the body's constituent session for June 28, when Serbs celebrate Vidovdan (St. Vitus' Day) and the memory of the 1389 Kosovo Battle.
Meanwhile, the Serbian National Council (SNV) of northern Kosovo said on Friday that by deciding to change the mandate of the UNMIK, Ban has grossly violated UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
"By the reconfiguration of UNMIK, Ban is establishing a customs and other functions permitted only to states, something that is unacceptable to Serbia", the SNV said in a statement.
According to SNV, Ban's intention to allow the functioning of the Eulex in Kosovo, "means the realization of Ahtisaari's plan for the creation of yet another Albanian state with the open disparaging and violation of Resolution 1244".
"The Serbs and Serbia will never accept such intentions of Ban," the SNV said in a statement.
