UNSC: Tadic urges countries which recognized Kosovo to reconsider their move

He also asked for support to the holding of Serbian parliamentary and, especially, local elections in Kosovo on May 11, and demanded the halting of the transfer of UNMIK's powers to any other body.

In keeping with the UN Charter Article VII, the UN SC Resolution 1244 binds all member states to respect Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said addressing the first UN SC session following the declaration of Kosovo independence.

Here is the translation of parts of Tadic's address:

"I would like to express major concern over the situation that has presented itself following the illegal proclamation of the independence of Kosovo and Metohia, the southern Serbian province that has been under UN administration ever since June 1999. Serbia has pointed on a number of occasions to the dangerous consequences of this illegitimate act which the provisional institutions of self-governance in Kosovo performed on February 17 this year.

Not only is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, a member of the UN, threatened by this unlawful act, but the illegal act of Kosovo Albanians has also led to an aggravation of security in Kosovo and raised a number of issues in other regions of the world as well.

The state of Serbia is concerned over the fact that there has been no reaction of the United Nations, of UNMIK, on the occasion of the proclamation of the unilateral independence of the province of Kosovo and Metohia. Belgrade demanded that the UN representatives in Kosovo annulled that illegal act, but instead of that, we saw that the report by the UN secretary general only mentioned the unilateral proclamation of independence and confirmed the new reality on the terrain.

It is completely unacceptable that the report does not specify the demands of Serbia or the country's arguments that the new reality is the result of the violation of Resolution 1244.      

Furthermore, according to the report, preparations are being made, with the approval of UNMIK representatives, for the implementation of the Martti Ahtisaari plan and supervised independence, although this plan was never discussed or adopted in the UN Security Council.

Serbia demands a continuation of UNMIK's mandate in keeping with Resolution 11244, and we find as completely unacceptable any appreciation of the circumstances that have presented themselves following the unilateral proclamation of independence.

Security Council Resolution 1244, according to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, obliges all member countries to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia.

The act of 35 countries that have backed the so-called independence of Kosovo, is in contradiction with the position of the UN Security Council and it has significantly weakened the credibility of the world organisation. With this act, efforts are being made to give legitimacy to an illegitimate division of internationally recognised sovereign countries. Serbia warns of the fact that in case that a compromise solution is not found, the Kosovo case will become a dangerous precedent and that such a situation might open a Pandora's box with unforeseeable consequences for similar cases in many other parts of the world.

This is why I once again call on the countries that have recognised Kosovo's independence to re-examine their decision and to take personal responsibility for the unimaginable consequences of such a precedent. I call on the countries that have not done that, to persist on observing the principles of international law. I expect help from all of you, so that, through new solutions, we could defend the law which all of us have to observe and help that the decisions of the UN Security Council regain the importance they deserve.

I view as particularly dangerous the pressure certain countries are making on our neighbours to recognise Kosovo independence and I have to warn that this could lead to a destabilisation of the region and jeopardise regional cooperation.

As a president of Serbia, I claim that my country shall never recognise Kosovo's independence. This is why it is necessary to seek a new, stable solution, which would improve the extremely bad situation that was caused by the unilateral decision of the temporary Kosovo institutions. Serbia continues to be convinced that only with a continuation of negotiations can we reach a mutually acceptable and sustainable solution that will bring lasting peace to all the people in the Balkans. The UN Security Council is the only institution that can reach a legally valid decision".

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