Samardzic: Failure to conduct Serbian elections in Kosovo may have grave consequences
Belgrade’s Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic warned the chief of UN mission in Kosovo that a failure to conduct Serbian elections throughout the province may have grave negative consequences, since the election issue presents the key political issue for Kosovo Serbs, but also for some 250,000 expelled after the NATO’s 1999 air war against former Yugoslavia.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, April 17, 2008
"Your latter, dated 10 April 2008, unfortunately did not contribute to solving the issue of our common interest - organising and conducting local elections in Kosovo and Metohia. I hope, however, that a chance for us to complete this task in co-operation and mutual understanding-for the benefit of Kosovo Serbs and other communities who do not recognise illegal and unilateral declaration of independence-still exists," Samardzic said in a letter obtained by KosovoCompromise.com.
Replying to Ruecker, Samardzic argued that UNMIK's decision to hold elections in just five Serb-dominated municipalities in Kosovo, in a fact, presents a rather counter-democratic move, which denies the basic instruments of democracy for majority of Kosovo Serbs.
"It is clear that all Serbs in the Province have the right to local self-government and therefore they need to take part in elections in all municipalities. Besides, the most of IDPs in Serbia do not originate from the five said municipalities of the Province. Not to provide them with the possibility to vote for the local authorities of municipalities from which they have been expelled, would represent a permanent denial of their return. This certainly is not your intention," Samardzic said.
Serbian minister also blamed Ruecker for breaching the provisions of Security Council's resolution 1244 after last year's changes to province's electoral regulations, bringing the legal framework closer to plan drafted by former Finish President Martti Ahtisaari regardless of the fact that such plan has never been adopted by the UN and that it does not represent a valid international document.
"By making the Regulations on the basis of this document, which stipulates the independence of Kosovo, you have already committed the breach of Resolution 1244...
As you know, this has not been accepted by Kosovo Serbs who boycotted both the parliamentary and municipal elections of 11 November 2007," Samardzic.
"Apart from that, after the illegal PISG declaration of 17 February, it is extremely difficult to imagine that Kosovo Serbs would accept to participate in elections organised and conducted by the same institutions," Samardzic.
"The worst breach of Resolution 1244 happened on 17 February this year. In an environment in which the political leadership of Kosovo Albanians entirely violates this binding UN document, and you fail to find neither the strength nor the means to stop this violation, it is only through co-operation with Serbia that you can preserve the dignity of UNMIK, and thus uphold the peace and hope for Serbs in the Province", he said.
"In this context, the upcoming elections can play a key positive role, just as their postponing or cancellation may have grave negative consequences. Therefore, these elections have a great significance for the Province's Serbs and are the issue of utmost political importance," Serbian minister said.
"Let me remind you that-in regard of illegal proclamation of independence and subsequent events-you took, as you phrased it on several occasions, "a neutral political position". It would have been of great usefulness if you would have also chosen to take such a stance of political neutrality regarding the elections for the Serbian local authorities in the Province. This would need to be the case, especially because of your almost unsolvable legal and political difficulties to organise these elections," Samardzic concluded.
