Border with Kosovo is “unacceptable”

BELGRADE Serbia’s main obligation is to prevent setting up of a border with Kosovo, Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) leader Vojislav Kostunica told daily Danas. He added that this was a turning point that would determine the country’s fate. Border with Kosovo is “unacceptable” Kostunica stressed that talks with Pristina should be returned under the UN Security Council’s mandate, in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244. “I strongly advocate that Serbia sends a request to the UN Security Council to stop the negotiations under Brussels’ supervision and return the negotiation under the full mandate of the Security Council because it is envisaged by the Resolution 1244,” he was quoted as saying. Kostunica stressed that the border was “an issue of all issues” and that “this government needs to carry the weight”. According to him, if the Serbian government establishes a border with Kosovo, it will not need any platform. He repeated that the DSS had filed a request for assessment of constitutionality of all regulations stemming from Brussels agreements, including the one on the integrated crossings management and stressed that the Constitutional Court “had the biggest, historical responsibility”. “I expect the Constitutional Court to act in accordance with the responsibility it has and to temporarily ban the implementation of the regulations before the border is set up. The Serbian president has his own responsibility to respect the Constitution and the border is solely a matter of the Constitution and everybody will in these crucial times have to come out about the most important national issue,” the DSS leader said. Commenting on the acquittal of former commander of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Ramush Haradinaj, Kostunica said that this was a “comprehensive and well-planned attack of the Western forces on Serbia”. “The Hague Tribunal is just an important link in the attack on Serbia and its state and national interests. Serbia is in jeopardy, its territory, identity, constitutional order, economy and moral foundations it rests on,” he explained. “The comprehensive attack on Serbia is hidden behind alleged benefits of the EU integration and if the state and the entire society do not find the right response to the danger, we will face a difficult national and state defeat,” the DSS leader added. “When it comes to Serbia’s response to the Hague Tribunal’s decisions, the War Crimes Prosecution should start prosecutions of Haradinaj and (Croat General Ante) Gotovina for the crimes they committed but were not tried for the in The Hague,” he stressed. When asked how the normalization of relations between a state and self-proclaimed authorities in a part of its territory could be defined from a legal point of view, Kostunica said that the answer was recently given by “an important Western diplomat – normalization of relations between Pristina and Belgrade is aimed at allowing general recognition of Kosovo’s independence”. “Therefore, the normalization of relations with the separatists means to directly undermine Serbia’s Constitution and jeopardize our national and state interests,” he concluded. Vojislav Kostunica (Beta, file) Danas Tanjug

Border with Kosovo is “unacceptable”

Koštunica stressed that talks with Priština should be returned under the UN Security Council’s mandate, in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

“I strongly advocate that Serbia sends a request to the UN Security Council to stop the negotiations under Brussels’ supervision and return the negotiation under the full mandate of the Security Council because it is envisaged by the Resolution 1244,” he was quoted as saying.

Koštunica stressed that the border was “an issue of all issues” and that “this government needs to carry the weight”.

According to him, if the Serbian government establishes a border with Kosovo, it will not need any platform.

He repeated that the DSS had filed a request for assessment of constitutionality of all regulations stemming from Brussels agreements, including the one on the integrated crossings management and stressed that the Constitutional Court “had the biggest, historical responsibility”.

“I expect the Constitutional Court to act in accordance with the responsibility it has and to temporarily ban the implementation of the regulations before the border is set up. The Serbian president has his own responsibility to respect the Constitution and the border is solely a matter of the Constitution and everybody will in these crucial times have to come out about the most important national issue,” the DSS leader said.

Commenting on the acquittal of former commander of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Ramush Haradinaj, Koštunica said that this was a “comprehensive and well-planned attack of the Western forces on Serbia”.

“The Hague Tribunal is just an important link in the attack on Serbia and its state and national interests. Serbia is in jeopardy, its territory, identity, constitutional order, economy and moral foundations it rests on,” he explained.

“The comprehensive attack on Serbia is hidden behind alleged benefits of the EU integration and if the state and the entire society do not find the right response to the danger, we will face a difficult national and state defeat,” the DSS leader added.

“When it comes to Serbia’s response to the Hague Tribunal’s decisions, the War Crimes Prosecution should start prosecutions of Haradinaj and (Croat General Ante) Gotovina for the crimes they committed but were not tried for the in The Hague,” he stressed.

When asked how the normalization of relations between a state and self-proclaimed authorities in a part of its territory could be defined from a legal point of view, Koštunica said that the answer was recently given by “an important Western diplomat – normalization of relations between Priština and Belgrade is aimed at allowing general recognition of Kosovo’s independence”.

“Therefore, the normalization of relations with the separatists means to directly undermine Serbia’s Constitution and jeopardize our national and state interests,” he concluded.