Jeremic: "Serbia wants dialogue as soon as possible"

We also expect it to focus on the least controversial issues first, he said addressing the UN Security Council regular session dedicated to work of the UN mission in the provincem, UNMIK, at which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon presented his quarterly report on the situation in Kosovo.

Jeremic said that the EU's facilitation role, its capacity to act as an honest broker, could play a decisive role in moving us towards a new, more promising moment.

"Early successes should be able to be leveraged as a way to build momentum for further achievements, when we proceed to other, more delicate topics," he said.

"We hope that our differences may now be readdressed in less adversarial circumstances. For us, this dialogue means negotiating and being open to compromise; it is about overcoming prejudices, and taming passions," the Serbian FM stressed.

"A fair and balanced process could become a catalyst for harnessing the forces of moderation, an instrument for those seeking to rebuild bridges and begin reconciliation in earnest. It could also provide a critical boost to securing a peaceful European future for the Western Balkans," he explained.

"Serbia has always maintained that Pristina's attempt to secede unilaterally is a violation of the basic principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, as well as Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999)," Jeremic pointed out.

"Our principled position remains unchanged, as enshrined in our Constitution: we shall not recognize Kosovo's UDI, explicitly or implicitly. Like anywhere else in the world, we believe there can never be a sustainable solution to an issue of such magnitude without the consent of all stakeholders," he said.

"We hold a firm view that the continued pursuit of UDI recognitions is futile and counter-productive. Everyone who wanted to make their point has already made it, and obviously, we still do not have a settlement, the FM stressed.

"A vast majority of UN member states have refrained from recognizing the UDI. On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, allow me once again to sincerely thank these countries for their support and solidarity," he said.

"We appeal to them to stay the course throughout the dialogue process. We believe it is critically important that no impediments are placed on the road the stakeholders have committed to take," Jeremic pointed out.

"It would be equally harmful if someone tries to alter realities on the ground while discussions get underway. Any attempt to change these realities unilaterally or through the use of force would dramatically, perhaps fatally, undermine the dialogue."

"This is one of the many reasons why the UN's reporting function remains indispensable. Serbia welcomes the secretary general's commitment to report all developments in the dialogue to the Security Council. Its centrality and leading role in determining, and providing legitimacy to, a comprehensive settlement, remains paramount in accordance with its Resolution 1244 and the primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security assigned to it by the UN Charter," he stated.

"I welcome the presence of Special Representative Lamberto Zannier. The United Nations remains an indispensable actor in the province. We believe it is critical for all responsible stakeholders on the ground, together with the Security Council, to reaffirm support for UNMIK as a strong pillar of peace and stability; equally, to cooperate with it fully at all times, including in the work it does at the municipal level through the UAM-the UNMIK Administration in Mitrovica," the FM explained.

"The UN's status neutrality and that of all organizations that operate under its overall authority, such as KFOR, EULEX, and OMIK (OSCE Mission in Kosovo), remains the only acceptable framework within which all of us can work together to improve the lives of ordinary people in Kosovo, irrespective of their ethnicity," noted Jeremic.

"Serbia highly appreciates the UN's unwavering commitment to maintaining the external representation function of UNMIK, its obligation under resolution 1244. We are deeply concerned, however, by the fact that the province's ethnic Albanian authorities "have actively resisted such a role" by the UN of late, as today's report points out. This is highly regrettable, for ‘should this policy continue over time, it might result in increasing isolation of Kosovo,' to quote the report. We hope Pristina will come to embrace the more constructive approach offered by UNMIK, and supported by this Council," he said.

"The Report highlights the fact that "there has been no significant change in the consistently low numbers of (IDP) returns" to the province - only 233 Kosovo Serbs in three months, to be exact, out of a total of 205,835 expelled since June 1999, according to the UNHCR's figures," the Serbian FM emphasized.

"In addition, the report refers to the October 3 enthronement of our Patriarch Irinej in the spiritual home and administrative center of the Serbian Orthodox Church for the past eight centuries, Pec," he stated.

"In the enthronement address to the faithful, his holiness emphasized the importance of reconciliation when he said ‘appealing in this solemn moment from this sacred place with love and respect not only for the Serbian Orthodox in Kosovo, but also for the honorable Albanian people and all other local inhabitants here, we invite them to peace and unity, always predicated upon divine and human justice'."

"For some, his words were overshadowed by the stoning of buses full of pilgrims on their way back from the holy site, and by what today's report mentions in passing as ‘posters placed prior to the ceremony along the road to the patriarchate depicting the patriarch as a war criminal.' The posters also portrayed him as a demonic figure. This kind of incident can only serve to enflame the passions of extremists on both sides. It is deeply regrettable that no international or local officials condemned the act, and that no investigation was carried out to uncover the perpetrators of this hate crime," the FM stressed.

"The report draws attention to continuing efforts by the authorities in Pristina to unilaterally alter the complex reality on the ground, especially in North Kosovo. It underlines the fact that the situation ‘has remained unstable, and tensions have grown'," he said.

"One event that ‘triggered tensions,' according to the report, was the insistence by ethnic Albanians to try to alter the status quo in North Kosovo by authorizing a construction project ‘without approval' by the UAM, the UNMIK Administration in Mitrovica," Jeremic added.

"Another, according to the report, was the ‘deployment of Kosovo Police Regional Operations Special Units (ROSU) [to North Kosovo] without agreement with EULEX.' The unsanctioned act of sending these paramilitaries, the vast majority of whom are ethnic Albanians from South Kosovo, is perceived by the majority that lives in North Kosovo as a provocation and an incitement to violence," he said.

"During this reporting period, the authorities in Pristina unfortunately resorted to unilateral action against Serbian targets in other parts of the province as well," stressed the Serbian FM.

"In late September, for example, armed teams of ethnic Albanians brought down Telekom Serbia mobile and fixed telephony network in South Kosovo, including equipment located in isolated enclaves and monastic communities. Aside from the significant material damage that resulted, the destruction of this network immediately affected approximately 100,000 South Kosovo Serbs, disrupting their ability to communicate beyond their enclaves-a serious breach of contemporary humanitarian norms," he added.

"As the report underscores, the carefully orchestrated operation ‘disrupted the normal functioning of several licensed Kosovo Serb media outlets.' It also ‘affected access to emergency services' - with hospital officials in Gracanica, ascribing several fatalities to the inability of patients to call for help," Jeremic pointed out.

"The report informs us that the ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina called their elections, which will take place, according to news reports, next month. Unfortunately, these elections are not being held in accordance with the Resolution 1244. Since the SRSG (special representative of the secretary general) did not call them, the OSCE cannot observe them, and the UN will not certify them," he explained.

"Under such circumstances, it is plainly impossible for the Serbian government to invite any of our citizens to participate in them," the Serbian FM concluded.