Parliament adopts Kosovo resolution

Parliament adopts Kosovo resolution

Addressing the parliament, Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica said that “Serbia will reject every declaration by the Albanian separatists that proclaims unilateral independence for Kosovo,” adding that "unfortunately, the possibility that a number of countries will unilaterally recognize Kosovo's independence cannot be ruled out".

“No country, no matter how powerful, can put its politics ahead of the United Nations, and every unilateral recognition of Kosovo's independence would be nothing more than the implementation of political force,” Koštunica said.

In his address, President Boris Tadić said that a united national policy for solving the Kosovo question has brought Serbia the support of the international community and created the possibility of new negotiations, without deadlines and predefined outcomes.

“Today's democratic Serbia does not accept that threats of violence are an argument for changing the borders and violating the norms of international law. The threats of the Kosovo Albanians go strongly against European democratic charters which Serbia supports in protecting the interests of its citizens, including the Kosovo Albanians,” Tadić said.

"It is necessary to assemble a new negotiating team for the next phase of negotiations on Kosovo's future status, which will have a clear mandate and the corresponding powers to present new ideas which will help us arrive at a compromise solution for the province's status in full accordance with international law," Tadić also said, Beta reported.

He added that "parliament's resolution on Kosovo and Metohija needs to state that Serbia has adopted a unique state stance in negotiations on the province's future status," and that all of the country's institutions needed to back this resolution.

Tadić reiterated that only the UN Security Council could pass a legitimate solution determining Kosovo's future status.

Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardžić said that the adoption of the new resolution signals the beginning of a new phase of talks, stressing the importance of the fact the document received the support of the majority of the parliament's officials.