Serb minister: U.S. bypassing UN Security Council, continuing to pressure Serbia

Serbian Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Slobodan Samardzic has accused the U.S. of continuing to run a policy of pressure on Serbia and its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"This is a policy run outside of the U.N. At the previous U.N. Security Council session, the countries spearheaded by the U.S. disabled the continuation of negotiations, i.e. the finding of a compromise solution, thus opting for a violent and imposed solution for Kosovo," Samardzic said.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that it was important to make decisions concerning Kosovo's status over the next few weeks, and added that inaction would lead to new instability in the Balkans.

Samardzic pointed out that "Serbia will not accept that, just like the majority of world countries, some of which are global forces."

According to him, "the worst thing would be if U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dared to violate the U.N. Security Council rules of procedure, and individually invited some other peacekeeping mission to replace UNMIK in Kosovo."

An earlier EU plan foresees a European mission replacing the U.N. in Kosovo. This idea has met opposition from Serbia and Russia, which believe this would be an introduction into Kosovo's independence, without the U.N.'s approval.

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