Jeremić: No imposed solution at UN SC

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic says Belgrade counts on support from Russia, China, South Africa, and Indonesia at the UN. Jeremic also said that he expected official Serbian position on the Kosovo status crisis resolution to be supported by three new non-permanent Security Council members. Jeremic: No imposed solution at UN SC All this, the chief of Serbian diplomacy believes, is enough to avoid an imposed solution. He told Politika that the non-permanent members' position was very important, since the permanent members are divided on the issue. Jeremic told the daily he used his recent visit to New York to meet with representatives of the UN Security Council member states and prepare the forthcoming visit of President Boris Tadic. Tadic will head the Serbian delegation and speak at the January 16 Security Council session, seeking support for Belgrade's position that negotiations over Kosovo's future status must be continued. Jeremic also submitted Serbia's official response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Kosovo report while in New York last week. "This official response will certainly also be taken into account. I have delivered it to and it has been registered as an official Security Council document, so that the member countries will have both the secretary-general's report and Belgrade's answer as they prepare for the session," he explained. Jeremic, who is traveling to Brussels on January 8 for a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, says that Belgrade believes the planned EU mission in Kosovo, or any other change in the format or mandate of the existing international mission in the province, must first be approved by the UN SC. The foreign minister, who is Tadic's Democratic Party (DS) official, said that the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU and the issue of the Kosovo status are two separate processes, adding it was in Serbia's interest that this remains so in the future. Saturday, Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic called on the UN to "improve its mission in Kosovo." Samardzic said that the UN Security Council must not “bury its head in the sand when Kosovo's reality was in question." "The UN Security Council has to call its ranking officials to account for all what they have not done and all what they have concealed in scope of their mission and their operations in Kosovo and Metohija,” Samardzic told Tanjug, explaining the government's intention when it reacted to reports the UN secretary-general and UNMIK chief drafted. Ban Ki-moon's and Joachim Ruecker's reports will be debated at the forthcoming session of the world organization, scheduled for January 16. Samardzic said that his ministry was "closely following actions of UNMIK and temporary self-government institutions in the province." “Without such a counter-report, the Security Council would simply be deceived as regards the realistic situation in Kosovo and Metohija, which is what has been happening as a rule, at least in the last couple of years, in the reports issued by the special envoy of the secretary general,” Samardzic assessed. “It can clearly be seen that none of the eight standards has been fulfilled and that the realization of most of these standards, when it comes to freedom of movement, security, and particularly return, has not even begun,” said the minister. Samardzic believes that “it is because of the very fact that the results of UNMIK's eight-year wok in Kosovo and Metohija are disastrous that the body is now requiring to be replaced by a mission of the European Union.” Jeremic, Samardzic (FoNet, archive)

Jeremić: No imposed solution at UN SC

All this, the chief of Serbian diplomacy believes, is enough to avoid an imposed solution. He told Politika that the non-permanent members' position was very important, since the permanent members are divided on the issue.

Jeremić told the daily he used his recent visit to New York to meet with representatives of the UN Security Council member states and prepare the forthcoming visit of President Boris Tadić.

Tadić will head the Serbian delegation and speak at the January 16 Security Council session, seeking support for Belgrade's position that negotiations over Kosovo's future status must be continued.

Jeremić also submitted Serbia's official response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Kosovo report while in New York last week.

"This official response will certainly also be taken into account. I have delivered it to and it has been registered as an official Security Council document, so that the member countries will have both the secretary-general's report and Belgrade's answer as they prepare for the session," he explained.

Jeremić, who is traveling to Brussels on January 8 for a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, says that Belgrade believes the planned EU mission in Kosovo, or any other change in the format or mandate of the existing international mission in the province, must first be approved by the UN SC.

The foreign minister, who is Tadić's Democratic Party (DS) official, said that the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU and the issue of the Kosovo status are two separate processes, adding it was in Serbia's interest that this remains so in the future.

Saturday, Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić called on the UN to "improve its mission in Kosovo."

Samardžić said that the UN Security Council must not “bury its head in the sand when Kosovo's reality was in question."

"The UN Security Council has to call its ranking officials to account for all what they have not done and all what they have concealed in scope of their mission and their operations in Kosovo and Metohija,” Samardžić told Tanjug, explaining the government's intention when it reacted to reports the UN secretary-general and UNMIK chief drafted.

Ban Ki-moon's and Joachim Ruecker's reports will be debated at the forthcoming session of the world organization, scheduled for January 16.

Samardžić said that his ministry was "closely following actions of UNMIK and temporary self-government institutions in the province."

“Without such a counter-report, the Security Council would simply be deceived as regards the realistic situation in Kosovo and Metohija, which is what has been happening as a rule, at least in the last couple of years, in the reports issued by the special envoy of the secretary general,” Samardžić assessed.

“It can clearly be seen that none of the eight standards has been fulfilled and that the realization of most of these standards, when it comes to freedom of movement, security, and particularly return, has not even begun,” said the minister.

Samardžić believes that “it is because of the very fact that the results of UNMIK's eight-year wok in Kosovo and Metohija are disastrous that the body is now requiring to be replaced by a mission of the European Union.”