State officials accuse K. Albanians of causing crisis

PM Mirko Cvetkovic said on Saturday the interim authorities in Pristina caused the crisis in northern Kosovo in order to provoke Serbia to end the dialogue. Opening the debate of the extraordinary session of the Serbian parliament on the government-sponsored draft declaration on the situation in Kosovo, the prime minister said Belgrade will remain firm in its stance that the problems in the province can only be solved in a peaceful and democratic manner. State officials accuse K. Albanians of causing crisis Cvetkovic said the crisis was caused by Pristina's irresponsible and unilateral moves, aimed at changing the reality on the ground, upsetting the Serb population and establishing the interim Pristina institutions in the northern part of the province. "The goal of the interim authorities in Pristina was to cause incidents and make Serbia's position more difficult, and in essence, to provoke Serbia to end the dialogue, which was already yielding its first results," said the prime minister. "Through diplomatic activity, Pristina's brutal attempt to impose unilateral solutions was stopped," Cvetkovic said. "Our main tool in the fight for Kosovo is dialogue and our policy is not to make a single move which would endanger the survival of Serbs in the province and the stability of the region," explained the prime minister. The prime minister said that both the international community and the interim institutions in Pristina need to understand the Serbian government will never recognize Kosovo as independent and that there are no circumstances or blackmail under which it would do so. Cvetkovic called on the international community to work to maintain peace in Kosovo, acting in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and called for a return to the earlier state and reaffirmation of dialogue. Cvetkovic urged Kosovo Serbs to prevent the actions of hooligans, who are, as he said, in the direct service of Albanian extremism. The Serbian prime minister called on the people in Kosovo, above all ethnic Albanians, to refrain from violence, and asked the Kosovo Serbs to be united and not do favors to the extremists who want to take Kosovo away from Serbia. Mirko Cvetkovic, Vuk Jeremic (Beta) "Diplomatic failure led Pristina to use force" Pristina unilaterally used force in Kosovo with the aim of changing the situation on the ground, due to its inability to secure elements of statehood through diplomatic means, Serbia's Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said at a session of the Serbian parliament. "With its failure to secure membership in political and international organizations, Pristina felt deeply frustrated and this is one of the reasons for unilateral use of force," Jeremic said addressing the MPs. He said this was not the first time force was used, recalling March 2004. "The scenario is similar now, they wanted to create the circumstances in the international arena which would bring about progress in achieving the goals of the Pristina government, but from the start of the crisis, the Serbian government and other bodies reacted promptly," the foreign minister said. Jeremic said Serbia reacted quickly and asked for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. The Serbian foreign minister explained that three permanent members threatened to veto, but that Serbia, despite the fact the consultations were closed, managed to present its view of the Kosovo crisis to all U.N. member countries. On Monday, the Pristina government sent Kosovo police Rosu units into northern Kosovo to take control of the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings. "We want to know who ordered the unilateral act of the Rosu operation, whether someone in the international community knew about these plans, and if they did not know - why, as well as why EULEX left the territory of northern Kosovo and left Serbs," Jeremic said. He said the OSCE Permanent Council also held a session where Serbia presented its views. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ambassadors of the Quint countries were presented with Serbia's stance, as well as a demand that things in northern Kosovo be brought back to the way they were before. "We intend to continue maximum diplomatic activity in the period ahead and we are in daily contact with most countries in the world. A U.N. Security Council session on Kosovo will be held in late August," Jeremic said. He called on members of the Serbian parliament to stay united, which will help in the diplomatic activities in the fight for Kosovo. "Army wants to prevent conflict escalation" Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said that since the eruption of the latest crisis in northern Kosovo, the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces have acted in line with their authority and the international agreement and in the desire to prevent the escalation of conflict and loss of life on both sides. Speaking at the Serbian parliament's session on the situation in Kosovo, Sutanovac pointed out it was through sheer luck that "a greater tragedy was averted" after Pristina attempted to take control of the administrative crossings in northern Kosovo on July 25. In the coming days, Serbia's defense system will contribute to the diplomatic efforts to arrive at a solution for the crisis in northern Kosovo, he explained. "We believe the will is there on both sides, and that KFOR, despite the fact it went beyond its mandate at times, does not want to enter a conflict with the Serbs in Kosovo," Sutanovac said. He added the relations need to be reset, that is, the situation in Kosovo needs to return to the way it was before July 25. The minister explained that, without the presence of the international forces in northern Kosovo, Serbia would be dragged "into something from which it, as a rule, came out the loser in the past." "We are convinced we will come out of this much better than we came out of problems in the past," the defense minister said. Sutanovac presented to the MPs a report on military diplomatic activities, saying representatives of the Serbian army met with the KFOR deputy commander in Nis on July 27, and that NATO and Partnership for Peace member countries were informed about the situation in Kosovo the same day at a Military Committee session and asked for their support in returning things in northern Kosovo to their previous state and creating conditions to continue the dialogue. "KFOR goes beyond its mandate" Serbia's Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic said on Saturday at a session of the Serbian parliament that KFOR completely went outside the framework of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 and assumed Pristina's positions. Bogdanovic noted that the events which occurred Monday at the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings pose the greatest threat to peace and stability and represent Pristina's attempt to establish its institutions in northern Kosovo. At the extraordinary session, the minister gave a chronological outline of the events of the past five days at the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings, starting with the Kosovo police special forces' attempt to take control, to the road blocks put up by Serbs in northern Kosovo. Bogdanovic said that KFOR went outside Resolution 1244, which Serbs in northern Kosovo interpreted as support to Pristina's goals. "This led to the violence and the burning of the Jarinje administrative crossing," Bogdanovic said. Stefanovic calls for unity in parliament Head of Belgrade's team in the dialogue with Pristina Borislav Stefanovic addressed MPs on Saturday to warn the situation in northern Kosovo is dramatic, with elements of a state of emergency, almost a war conflict, and called on parliament to stand united to help resolve the crisis. Talking about the situation on the ground, Stefanovic said that in northern Kosovo he and Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic found "upset, distraught people, without any directives." Stefanovic informed the MPs about the outcome of the talks with KFOR commander Erhard Buehler: "The talks with Buehler focused on the following points: withdrawing Rosu from northern Kosovo, unblocking roads and agreeing on the status and functioning of the two administrative crossings," he reminded. Stefanovic said an agreement was reached in full regarding the first two items, but not the third, because KFOR could not offer guarantees it will no longer transport so-called Kosovo customs officials. In the meantime, Stefanovic said, the crisis escalated again on Friday, when a KFOR convoy came to the roadblock in Rudare, when many Serbs were peacefully protesting and sitting on the road. "We started talks with Buehler again and after three and a half hours we managed to save lives by agreeing that KFOR will return to its base for now," Stefanovic said. He warned the crisis could escalate further and that nobody wants that. "Serbia and its people are completely united in the stance that nobody wants any violence, violence is absolutely condemned, and the situation at the administrative crossings must be brought back to the way it was before."

State officials accuse K. Albanians of causing crisis

Cvetković said the crisis was caused by Priština's irresponsible and unilateral moves, aimed at changing the reality on the ground, upsetting the Serb population and establishing the interim Priština institutions in the northern part of the province.

"The goal of the interim authorities in Priština was to cause incidents and make Serbia's position more difficult, and in essence, to provoke Serbia to end the dialogue, which was already yielding its first results," said the prime minister.

"Through diplomatic activity, Priština's brutal attempt to impose unilateral solutions was stopped," Cvetković said.

"Our main tool in the fight for Kosovo is dialogue and our policy is not to make a single move which would endanger the survival of Serbs in the province and the stability of the region," explained the prime minister.

The prime minister said that both the international community and the interim institutions in Priština need to understand the Serbian government will never recognize Kosovo as independent and that there are no circumstances or blackmail under which it would do so.

Cvetković called on the international community to work to maintain peace in Kosovo, acting in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and called for a return to the earlier state and reaffirmation of dialogue.

Cvetković urged Kosovo Serbs to prevent the actions of hooligans, who are, as he said, in the direct service of Albanian extremism.

The Serbian prime minister called on the people in Kosovo, above all ethnic Albanians, to refrain from violence, and asked the Kosovo Serbs to be united and not do favors to the extremists who want to take Kosovo away from Serbia.

"Diplomatic failure led Priština to use force"

Priština unilaterally used force in Kosovo with the aim of changing the situation on the ground, due to its inability to secure elements of statehood through diplomatic means, Serbia's Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić said at a session of the Serbian parliament.

"With its failure to secure membership in political and international organizations, Priština felt deeply frustrated and this is one of the reasons for unilateral use of force," Jeremić said addressing the MPs.

He said this was not the first time force was used, recalling March 2004.

"The scenario is similar now, they wanted to create the circumstances in the international arena which would bring about progress in achieving the goals of the Priština government, but from the start of the crisis, the Serbian government and other bodies reacted promptly," the foreign minister said.

Jeremić said Serbia reacted quickly and asked for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council.

The Serbian foreign minister explained that three permanent members threatened to veto, but that Serbia, despite the fact the consultations were closed, managed to present its view of the Kosovo crisis to all U.N. member countries.

On Monday, the Priština government sent Kosovo police Rosu units into northern Kosovo to take control of the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings.

"We want to know who ordered the unilateral act of the Rosu operation, whether someone in the international community knew about these plans, and if they did not know - why, as well as why EULEX left the territory of northern Kosovo and left Serbs," Jeremić said.

He said the OSCE Permanent Council also held a session where Serbia presented its views.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ambassadors of the Quint countries were presented with Serbia's stance, as well as a demand that things in northern Kosovo be brought back to the way they were before.

"We intend to continue maximum diplomatic activity in the period ahead and we are in daily contact with most countries in the world. A U.N. Security Council session on Kosovo will be held in late August," Jeremić said.

He called on members of the Serbian parliament to stay united, which will help in the diplomatic activities in the fight for Kosovo.

"Army wants to prevent conflict escalation"

Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac said that since the eruption of the latest crisis in northern Kosovo, the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces have acted in line with their authority and the international agreement and in the desire to prevent the escalation of conflict and loss of life on both sides.

Speaking at the Serbian parliament's session on the situation in Kosovo, Šutanovac pointed out it was through sheer luck that "a greater tragedy was averted" after Pristina attempted to take control of the administrative crossings in northern Kosovo on July 25.

In the coming days, Serbia's defense system will contribute to the diplomatic efforts to arrive at a solution for the crisis in northern Kosovo, he explained.

"We believe the will is there on both sides, and that KFOR, despite the fact it went beyond its mandate at times, does not want to enter a conflict with the Serbs in Kosovo," Šutanovac said.

He added the relations need to be reset, that is, the situation in Kosovo needs to return to the way it was before July 25.

The minister explained that, without the presence of the international forces in northern Kosovo, Serbia would be dragged "into something from which it, as a rule, came out the loser in the past."

"We are convinced we will come out of this much better than we came out of problems in the past," the defense minister said.

Šutanovac presented to the MPs a report on military diplomatic activities, saying representatives of the Serbian army met with the KFOR deputy commander in Niš on July 27, and that NATO and Partnership for Peace member countries were informed about the situation in Kosovo the same day at a Military Committee session and asked for their support in returning things in northern Kosovo to their previous state and creating conditions to continue the dialogue.

"KFOR goes beyond its mandate"

Serbia's Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović said on Saturday at a session of the Serbian parliament that KFOR completely went outside the framework of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 and assumed Priština's positions.

Bogdanović noted that the events which occurred Monday at the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings pose the greatest threat to peace and stability and represent Priština's attempt to establish its institutions in northern Kosovo.

At the extraordinary session, the minister gave a chronological outline of the events of the past five days at the Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings, starting with the Kosovo police special forces' attempt to take control, to the road blocks put up by Serbs in northern Kosovo.

Bogdanović said that KFOR went outside Resolution 1244, which Serbs in northern Kosovo interpreted as support to Priština's goals.

"This led to the violence and the burning of the Jarinje administrative crossing," Bogdanović said.

Stefanović calls for unity in parliament

Head of Belgrade's team in the dialogue with Priština Borislav Stefanović addressed MPs on Saturday to warn the situation in northern Kosovo is dramatic, with elements of a state of emergency, almost a war conflict, and called on parliament to stand united to help resolve the crisis.

Talking about the situation on the ground, Stefanović said that in northern Kosovo he and Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović found "upset, distraught people, without any directives."

Stefanović informed the MPs about the outcome of the talks with KFOR commander Erhard Buehler:

"The talks with Buehler focused on the following points: withdrawing Rosu from northern Kosovo, unblocking roads and agreeing on the status and functioning of the two administrative crossings," he reminded.

Stefanović said an agreement was reached in full regarding the first two items, but not the third, because KFOR could not offer guarantees it will no longer transport so-called Kosovo customs officials.

In the meantime, Stefanović said, the crisis escalated again on Friday, when a KFOR convoy came to the roadblock in Rudare, when many Serbs were peacefully protesting and sitting on the road.

"We started talks with Buehler again and after three and a half hours we managed to save lives by agreeing that KFOR will return to its base for now," Stefanović said.

He warned the crisis could escalate further and that nobody wants that.

"Serbia and its people are completely united in the stance that nobody wants any violence, violence is absolutely condemned, and the situation at the administrative crossings must be brought back to the way it was before."