Sparks fly at UNSC session between Belgrade and Pristina

Sparks fly at UNSC session between Belgrade and Pristina

"Citaku has insulted the session by saying that this is a charade ... I am worried much more that the United States, Britain and France have obviously agreed with Kosovo regarding the need to end the UN mission in Kosovo," Dacic, who previously addressed the meeting, said.

He then asked "how these powers can say that they want to be a partner of Serbia."

"Will somebody here ever mention that more than 200,000 Serbs have been expelled (from Kosovo), and that 1.9 percent of them have returned? Do you think this should not be mentioned anymore?," asked Dacic, who also serves as the first deputy prime minster in the Serbian government.

Recalling that 43,000 Serbs lived in Pristina in 1981, he asked, "Where are they today? Will you say - 'it's okay, they are no more, we will no longer gather and talk about it'?"

"You are great powers - but with this you're dealing a deep blow to the Serbian people, and the Serb victims are seeking justice, just like Albanians and all others," Dacic said, adding: "If someone thinks that the situation in Kosovo is resolved, then they are deeply deluded."

Referring to Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, made in 2008, he said that "if someone thinks it is enough to carry out a one-sided secession and that the problem is solved, and that by recognizing a country you have finished the job, then you have forgotten your history."

Recalling that France and Serbia are "strategic partners" - he asked whether it was "logical" for the representative of that country in the UN to act the way they did during the session.

"I don't want what happened to Serbia to happen to your countries. We will certainly not be the ones to cause a war. If you think that this should no longer be maintained, make that decision, propose that (UNSC) Resolution 1244 be abolished," Dacic said.

At the same time, he said he was convinced that "great powers are aware that such a decision cannot be passed in the UN Security Council."

"Do not be insulting Serbia. It is a proud country that has helped you a lot, among other things, in the establishment of the UN, unlike some other people who welcomed Hilter with flowers," concluded Dacic.

Reacting to some of Dacic's statements, Citaku said that the UN Security Council was "not a place to discuss national identities, nor about who was the first in the Balkans, who came in the 7th century..."

"I am an ethnic Albanian and a proud citizen of Kosovo. These identities coexist excellently and one does not exclude the other," she said, after Dacic remarked that Citaku is not a "Kosovar" but an Albanian, because the nation of Kosovo does not exist.

She also said that "Kosovo had borders long before it gained statehood," arguing that "Kosovo's independence was a product of the breakup of Yugoslavia - not the only one, and it is not a secessionist movement."

While Citaku spoke, Dacic often disputed her claims and tried to interrupt her.