Serbia submits official response to Ban's report

The Kosovo Ministry has sent the Security Council its official response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report. It criticizes UNMIK and the failure to react to Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration. Serbia submits official response to Ban's report The Kosovo Ministry said that the document was Serbia’s official response to the secretary-general’s report on UNMIK’s work. On April 21, the Security Council will review UNMIK’s regular quarterly report. The Serbian response highlights the “key event” that marked the period the report relates to—“the act of secession by the temporary self-government institutions of Kosovo.” The ministry states that it is “gravely concerned” by the fact that “no UN (UNMIK) response was forthcoming following the province of Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration,” and that Belgrade had expected UN representatives in Kosovo to annul this “illegal act.” “We draw attention to the fact that the Report only mentions the unilateral declaration of independence, and only confirms ‘the new reality on the ground.’ The Report does not mention Serbia’s demands or her arguments that this ‘new reality’ is the product of a violation of Resolution 1244,” reads the ministry document. It adds that according to the Report, the groundwork for the Martti Ahtisaari Plan and “supervised independence” is being laid with the countenance of UNMIK representatives, and that that plan “was neither assessed nor accepted in the UN Security Council.” “Serbia demands the renewal of UNMIK’s initial mandate in line with Resolution 1244,” says the document, adding that Serbia considers it completely unacceptable for UNMIK to act on the basis of respecting the circumstances brought about by the unilateral independence declaration. The Ministry reiterates that the Serbian parliament and government adopted a Decision to Annul Illegal Acts by the Temporary Self-Government Institutions, that the public prosecution brought charges against the leaders of the provincial organs, that it asked the UN to annul the illegal act, and that Serbia offered UNMIK a draft agreement for joint application of Resolution 1244 following the illegal declaration of independence. The document states that the independence declaration was proceeded by a wave of important events for the stability and security of Serbia and the region. The ministry has also formulated a response to UNMIK Chief Joachim Ruecker’s technical progress analysis of the implementation of standards in Kosovo. That document states that Ruecker “only mentions the unilateral independence declaration and only confirms that a ‘new reality’ exists,” but neglects to include “an appraisal or reaction to this illegal act.” Ruecker’s report states that the decisions and acts of both UNMIK and the temporary institutions are being carried out in line with the Ahtisaari Plan, but fails to mention when and on what grounds UNMIK’s mandate was altered. The Serbian response stresses that the international representatives in Kosovo are not cooperating with the Hague Tribunal, and that they have not assisted in collecting evidence of crimes committed against Serbs. The response was put together in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry and sent to the UN Security Council which will review the report at its session on April 21, a session that President Boris Tadic is due to attend. Tadic is expected to speak there with U.S and Russian ambassadors Zalmay Khalilzad and Vitalz Churkin, as well as with other Security Council member-state ambassadors.

Serbia submits official response to Ban's report

The Kosovo Ministry said that the document was Serbia’s official response to the secretary-general’s report on UNMIK’s work. On April 21, the Security Council will review UNMIK’s regular quarterly report.

The Serbian response highlights the “key event” that marked the period the report relates to—“the act of secession by the temporary self-government institutions of Kosovo.”

The ministry states that it is “gravely concerned” by the fact that “no UN (UNMIK) response was forthcoming following the province of Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration,” and that Belgrade had expected UN representatives in Kosovo to annul this “illegal act.”

“We draw attention to the fact that the Report only mentions the unilateral declaration of independence, and only confirms ‘the new reality on the ground.’ The Report does not mention Serbia’s demands or her arguments that this ‘new reality’ is the product of a violation of Resolution 1244,” reads the ministry document.

It adds that according to the Report, the groundwork for the Martti Ahtisaari Plan and “supervised independence” is being laid with the countenance of UNMIK representatives, and that that plan “was neither assessed nor accepted in the UN Security Council.”

“Serbia demands the renewal of UNMIK’s initial mandate in line with Resolution 1244,” says the document, adding that Serbia considers it completely unacceptable for UNMIK to act on the basis of respecting the circumstances brought about by the unilateral independence declaration.

The Ministry reiterates that the Serbian parliament and government adopted a Decision to Annul Illegal Acts by the Temporary Self-Government Institutions, that the public prosecution brought charges against the leaders of the provincial organs, that it asked the UN to annul the illegal act, and that Serbia offered UNMIK a draft agreement for joint application of Resolution 1244 following the illegal declaration of independence.

The document states that the independence declaration was proceeded by a wave of important events for the stability and security of Serbia and the region.

The ministry has also formulated a response to UNMIK Chief Joachim Ruecker’s technical progress analysis of the implementation of standards in Kosovo.

That document states that Ruecker “only mentions the unilateral independence declaration and only confirms that a ‘new reality’ exists,” but neglects to include “an appraisal or reaction to this illegal act.”

Ruecker’s report states that the decisions and acts of both UNMIK and the temporary institutions are being carried out in line with the Ahtisaari Plan, but fails to mention when and on what grounds UNMIK’s mandate was altered.

The Serbian response stresses that the international representatives in Kosovo are not cooperating with the Hague Tribunal, and that they have not assisted in collecting evidence of crimes committed against Serbs.

The response was put together in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry and sent to the UN Security Council which will review the report at its session on April 21, a session that President Boris Tadić is due to attend.

Tadić is expected to speak there with U.S and Russian ambassadors Zalmay Khalilzad and Vitalz Churkin, as well as with other Security Council member-state ambassadors.