Koštunica gives strongly-worded Statehood Day speech

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica says Serbia will not enter EU as part of any "undignified trade-off". He was addressing top state and army officials in historic Orasac, central Serbia, during the Statehood and Army Day celebrations there Friday. Kostunica gives strongly-worded Statehood Day speech Kostunica sent out a message to all state institutions and citizens to be united in the defense of Kosovo, just as the Serbs were united in Kosovo in 1389 and in Orasac in 1804. The Battle of Kosovo in June 1389 saw the Serbian mediaeval empire suffer a heroic and costly loss, to in decades to come succumb to a Turkish invasion that engulfed much of the Balkans. This day in 1804 in Orasac and Topola saw the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising, the most serious attempt to counter the Ottoman occupation in an organized manner. Today, standing in the place that 203 years ago belonged to the leaders of the uprising, the prime minister insisted on unity, despite recent serious differences within the ruling coalition over the issue of Serbia's EU integration and the relation of this to the Kosovo crisis. "This is perhaps the only question where differences must not exist. Thus, yesterday, the Serbian government passed a historic decision to preemptively and for all time annul any illegal proclamation of a false state on the Serbian territory," he told the gathering, in reference to Kosovo's ethnic Albanians' announcements that they will unilaterally declare the province's independence. "Many powerful [countries] have many times, in the course of many centuries, taken Kosovo away from us," Kostunica continued. "But this is the first time in our history that the snatchers are asking for our consent, for our approval and acceptance, for a slave-like welcome of the stealing of Kosovo – for us to sign that something that has been ours for centuries – is not ours," the prime minister said. He continued his strongly-worded speech by saying that Serbia is today asked to sit at the European family table as the only state that gained a chair through an undignified trade-off, and rejection of its memories and identity. Kostunica was referring to the EU offer of closer ties with Serbia, and plans to send its mission to Kosovo, while some member states have announced they would recognize the province's independence, both against Belgrade's wishes. "There are voices among us, too, that say this is the easy way. That is pays off better. I am unable to make such calculations. We were born Serbs and we must remain Serbs," he said, in a comment apparently aimed at his cabinet coalition partners, most notably President Boris Tadic's Democrats (DS). "Serbia has always been a part of Europe," Kostunica continued, "while Kosovo is another name for the most valuable contribution Serbia has made to the Christian civilization." "Therefore, no one can introduce Serbia to Europe, or take it out of there. Serbia needs to join the European Union as a whole, just as all the other member countries have done when joining this alliance," he said. Kostunica returned to the subject of Kosovo and said that "only a false state can be founded on injustice and theft. And in a false state, whose false leaders are currently unavailable to justice, everything is false, and it can only be, as has already been noted, a smugglers' paradise," the prime minister said. He also told all Serbs living in Kosovo, as well as all other residents of the province who consider Serbia to be their state, that Kosovo is Serbia, and that the only status they can have is that of citizens of Serbia. "All children in Kosovo must sleep as peacefully as if they were in Sumadija [central Serbia]. Those who have undertaken to guarantee them this, are absolutely obligated to live up to it," Kostunica said, commenting on the security issues that have plagued Serbs in Kosovo since 1999, particularly in isolated enclaves where they live under armed protection provided by the international forces deployed in Kosovo. "As long as there are Serb holy places in Kosovo, as long as there are those who light candles in them, cross themselves, those who born and those who die there, there must not be a Serb who will recognize a violent and illegal partition of Serbia," the premier warned. "It is regrettable to see that in the 21st century anyone has the dilemma of whether to support justice or injustice, when precisely the answer to this holds the key not only to Serbia's future, but also to the legal order and the future of the world. Therefore we are convinced, that in defending Kosovo, Serbia is defending more than just its territory," Kostunica concluded. Kostunica in Orasac today (Tanjug)

Koštunica gives strongly-worded Statehood Day speech

Koštunica sent out a message to all state institutions and citizens to be united in the defense of Kosovo, just as the Serbs were united in Kosovo in 1389 and in Orašac in 1804.

The Battle of Kosovo in June 1389 saw the Serbian mediaeval empire suffer a heroic and costly loss, to in decades to come succumb to a Turkish invasion that engulfed much of the Balkans.

This day in 1804 in Orašac and Topola saw the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising, the most serious attempt to counter the Ottoman occupation in an organized manner.

Today, standing in the place that 203 years ago belonged to the leaders of the uprising, the prime minister insisted on unity, despite recent serious differences within the ruling coalition over the issue of Serbia's EU integration and the relation of this to the Kosovo crisis.

"This is perhaps the only question where differences must not exist. Thus, yesterday, the Serbian government passed a historic decision to preemptively and for all time annul any illegal proclamation of a false state on the Serbian territory," he told the gathering, in reference to Kosovo's ethnic Albanians' announcements that they will unilaterally declare the province's independence.

"Many powerful [countries] have many times, in the course of many centuries, taken Kosovo away from us," Koštunica continued.

"But this is the first time in our history that the snatchers are asking for our consent, for our approval and acceptance, for a slave-like welcome of the stealing of Kosovo – for us to sign that something that has been ours for centuries – is not ours," the prime minister said.

He continued his strongly-worded speech by saying that Serbia is today asked to sit at the European family table as the only state that gained a chair through an undignified trade-off, and rejection of its memories and identity.

Koštunica was referring to the EU offer of closer ties with Serbia, and plans to send its mission to Kosovo, while some member states have announced they would recognize the province's independence, both against Belgrade's wishes.

"There are voices among us, too, that say this is the easy way. That is pays off better. I am unable to make such calculations. We were born Serbs and we must remain Serbs," he said, in a comment apparently aimed at his cabinet coalition partners, most notably President Boris Tadić's Democrats (DS).

"Serbia has always been a part of Europe," Koštunica continued, "while Kosovo is another name for the most valuable contribution Serbia has made to the Christian civilization."

"Therefore, no one can introduce Serbia to Europe, or take it out of there. Serbia needs to join the European Union as a whole, just as all the other member countries have done when joining this alliance," he said.

Koštunica returned to the subject of Kosovo and said that "only a false state can be founded on injustice and theft. And in a false state, whose false leaders are currently unavailable to justice, everything is false, and it can only be, as has already been noted, a smugglers' paradise," the prime minister said.

He also told all Serbs living in Kosovo, as well as all other residents of the province who consider Serbia to be their state, that Kosovo is Serbia, and that the only status they can have is that of citizens of Serbia.

"All children in Kosovo must sleep as peacefully as if they were in Šumadija [central Serbia]. Those who have undertaken to guarantee them this, are absolutely obligated to live up to it," Koštunica said, commenting on the security issues that have plagued Serbs in Kosovo since 1999, particularly in isolated enclaves where they live under armed protection provided by the international forces deployed in Kosovo.

"As long as there are Serb holy places in Kosovo, as long as there are those who light candles in them, cross themselves, those who born and those who die there, there must not be a Serb who will recognize a violent and illegal partition of Serbia," the premier warned.

"It is regrettable to see that in the 21st century anyone has the dilemma of whether to support justice or injustice, when precisely the answer to this holds the key not only to Serbia's future, but also to the legal order and the future of the world. Therefore we are convinced, that in defending Kosovo, Serbia is defending more than just its territory," Koštunica concluded.