Archbishop Artemije Request Orthodox American Assistance

The integral testimony of Bishop Artemije during his recently visit to USA in July 2006.
Thank you for your kind attention.
As the archpastor of the Christian of Kosovo and Metohija, I have come to America, once again, to bear witness to the agony that has befallen the Christian people of Kosovo and to warn against the path that lies before us.
I have also come to ask you to help change the current direction of American policy, which, if left as it is, will condemn my Christian people to extinction and create a new rogue state – this time in Europe.
As you may remember, since the 1999 war Kosovo has been under United Nations and NATO control. Here in America, it appears almost everyone assumes there has been a big success, and Kosovo has been forgotten.
But under the nose of the U.N. and NATO, Kosovo has become a black hole of corruption and organized crime, including trafficking in drugs, weapons, and slaves. The local Muslim Albanian administration is controlled by members of a terrorist organization, the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which is closely tied to the Muslim Albanian mafia, which runs drug and slave rackets across Europe.
Since 1999, - after the end of the war -, 220,000 Christian Serbs and non-Albanians have been forced to leave Kosovo, and more than a thousand Christians have been killed. Centuries-old churches and monasteries, more 150 of them, have been destroyed.
I cannot emphasize enough that the key element in all this is violence. A crime happens in Kosovo and Metohija every day. There is no end to it. Recently the church in Obilic was desecrated. When churches are attacked, particular targets for demonic rage are the crosses on top of the church, and images of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother.
The Muslim Albanians and their defenders like to claim that the security situation is improving – but in fact, any improvement in the crime numbers simply means there are fewer targets.
Murders continue. Just a few days ago there was a murder in Klina of a 68-year-old Christian who had returned to Kosovo on promises that the international community was going to be serious about security. So, now he too is dead.
But in Kosovo, even Christian dead to not rest. Recently the Christian cemetery in Staro Gracko was destroyed while the gentlemen representing Kosovo provisional institutions were touring Washington – and being received with honors at the White House and State Department – and telling everybody how the situation in Kosovo and Metohija has improved and how everything is just fine now. This is unprecedented and unbelievable hypocrisy on the part of the world toward everything that is happening in Kosovo and Metohija.
One of the men received in Washington was the so-called “prime minister” for the Kosovo Muslim Albanians, the man who would lead the government of a new state if Kosovo is detached from Serbia. This is a man who is an indicted war criminal in Serbia. According to the indictment, he bears command responsibility for the murders by KLA islamic terrorists of 669 Christians Serbs and 18 members of other ethnic groups, 518 counts of inflicting serious bodily harm (including torture) and wounding, and 584 counts of abduction, many of the victims of which are presumed dead. He was named military commander of the KLA in May 1999. The following month, after the end of hostilities between Serbia and NATO forces, KLA terrorists under his command intensified their attacks on civilian Christian Serbs, driving two-thirds of them from the province, as well as against Roma (Gypsies), Croats, Jews, Ashkalis, Gorani, and other non-Muslim or non-Albanians in Kosovo. This is the man who now comes to Washington to meet with Secretary Rice and have his picture taken. This is war on terror?
Among the characteristic jihad terror practices of the KLA is the beheading of victims, as seen in other countries with active jihad terror movements, such as Iraq (American soldiers and Iraqis alike), Indonesia (including some little girls), Israel, and Pakistan (American reporter Daniel Pearl), India (Kashmir), and Russia (Chechnya). On the Internet you can see photographs of uniformed KLA islamic terrorists – whose identities are known but who have never been brought to justice – with heads of their Christian Serb victims. In 1999, soon after the beginning of the international administration in Kosovo, the KLA kidnapped Hieromonk Hariton of the Holy Archangels monastery. His body, showing signs of torture, was found, but not his head. Why are jihad beheadings an outrage in the rest of the world, but not in Kosovo? This is jihad in Kosovo, which officially was launched in 1995 at a meeting in Tirana, Albania, between Osama bin Laden and two leaders of the KLA.
Every day, Kosovo more and more loses the aspect of a Christian land full of churches and monasteries and comes to look like a Muslim land full of mosques. This transformation is the direct result of violence and threat of violence. Meanwhile, hundreds of Wahhabi mosques have been built and continue to be built, mostly funded by Saudi Arabia and nations of the Persian Golf.
And now, carrying on a policy inherited from the past Administration, some officials in the American government demand, with more and more pressure, that my country, Serbia, must hand over part of its territory to this violent Islamic movement. Detaching Kosovo from democratic Serbia, of which it is an integral part, would mean a virtual sentence of extinction for my Christian people in the province and create a rogue state in which the terrorists are the government.
I can’t understand why American officials want this. Maybe they think they will impress the Muslim countries. This is not just our problem – it is your problem. At a time when America is leading the Free World in a global struggle against jihad terror, Kosovo must not continue to be an exception, where, for reasons we do not understand, American officials have taken the side of the criminal and jihadists. Sacrificing our land and our blood cannot buy protection from jihad.
The fact is, my country will say No to the demand that we give up Kosovo, whatever the pressure from Washington, or London, or Brussels. All politicians and parties say: not one Serbian hand will sign away Kosovo.
What I ask of you today, is that you raise your voice with your government to reassess this policy, which is bad for both America and Serbia. Please tell President Bush, and Secretary Rice – this is a policy that needs to be reconsidered.
The Bishop of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija +ARTEMIJE

Raskovic-Ivic's Remarks to the Security Council

Durable solution for Kosovo can be found only through systematic, responsible and gradual negotiations

Belgrade/New York, Sept 13, 2006 – Head of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo:

Metohija Sanda Raskovic-Ivic said today in New York that a lasting solution for Kosovo-Metohija can be found only through systematic, responsible and gradual negotiations.
At the UN Security Council’s session dedicated to Kosovo-Metohija, Raskovic-Ivic said that nervousness, irrational hastiness and arrogance will not contribute to finding a sustainable solution for Kosovo-Metohija nor to peace and stability of the Southeast European region. She repeated that only patience and eyes kept wide open to reality and the future can bring to a true compromise of the Kosovo-Metohija issue and also stressed that an imposed solution would not solve the problem, but would have fatal consequences. We are strongly assured that only by systematic, responsible and gradual negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija, with no superficial deadlines that only create additional pressure, is it possible to find a durable solution for this issue, she said and stressed that otherwise there may be new complications with fatal consequences that always take place when universal principles of the international community are disobeyed. Raskovic-Ivic stressed the importance of the Security Council as guarantor for preserving universal principles of international law and the whole international order and stressed that only through consistent respect of international principles, such as inviolability of sovereignty and territorial integrity of democratic countries, is it possible to preserve and improve peace and stability in the Balkan region. She pointed to the fact that since the previous session of the Security Council held three months ago, there have been 51 incidents of smaller or higher intensity in Kosovo-Metohija in which the lives and property of Serbs were targeted, while from October 24, 2005 to September 1, 2006 there were 260 such incidents. Raskovic-Ivic concluded that the implementation of principles and concrete solutions from the Platform of the Serbian negotiating team on Kosovo's future status in the longer term remains the only way for a satisfactory resolution of the grim situation in the province. She said that that can be achieved only by making steps towards the establishment of the rule of law, punishment of criminals and terrorists, their bringing to justice, as well as towards the creation of safety and all other conditions for a normal life Political steps should include convincing the ethnic Albanian side to give up extreme, exclusive requests and accept a rational and compromising solution - autonomy with broad, substantial powers stated Raskovic-Ivic.

Parliament Accepts New Constitution

By MISHA SAVIC, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 39 minutes ago
BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia toughened its stand on
Kosovo' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Kosovo Tuesday as parliament decided that a planned new constitution would refer to the disputed province as an "integral" part of Serbia, regardless of U.N.-led negotiations on whether to grant it independence.
The parliamentary vote effectively ruled out Belgrade's consent if the international talks decide in favor of the majority ethnic Albanians who want the province to be independent.

The talks began this year to try to resolve the future of Kosovo — a province about the size of Connecticut that has been run by the
United Nations' NATO launched a bombing campaign to end a Serb crackdown on independence-minded ethnic Albanian rebels in 1999.
The Serbian lawmakers voted 219-5 in favor of declaring Kosovo a "historic and integral part of Serbia" in a planned new constitution. They also overwhelmingly adopted a report by Serbia's negotiators in the talks, who warned that independence for Kosovo would risk creating a precedent that would encourage separatist movements beyond the Balkans.
Serbia's government has offered Kosovo a broad autonomy, instead of independence.
Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica told the assembly "we are requested to give up Kosovo ... we are being asked to humiliate ourselves as a state." He did not name countries pressing for Kosovo's independence.
Tomislav Nikolic, leader of the extreme nationalist Serbian Radical Party, urged Kostunica to prepare Serbia's army for a war over Kosovo.
"I want to know what our armed forces will do," Nikolic said in the parliament. "If we don't have enough motivation and weapons (to go to war), then don't tell us that Kosovo is part of Serbia."
Both Kostunica and pro-Western President Boris Tadic have ruled out new armed conflicts over Kosovo, pledging to defend it only by legal means.
Most Serbs consider Kosovo their heartland and the cradle of their history and culture. About 100,000 Serbs still live in Kosovo. Twice as many have fled from the ethnic Albanian-dominated province since 1999.
Also Tuesday, the government announced it would invest $41.4 million in Serb enclaves in Kosovo over the next 15 months to help the embattled minority living among the ethnic Albanians.
The funds are to create jobs for the dwindling Serb community, build roads and other infrastructure, and to improve their education and health care.

Righteous PM Kostunica Addresses Parliament

Serbia must resort to law, justice and confront every attempt to impose Kosovo independence

Belgrade, Sept 12, 2006 – Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica addressed the Serbian parliament today and stated that the unanimous belief of the entire people, which is to fight for a just and truthful cause, leaves the government with but one choice – that today, more than ever, it is under obligation to confront with law and justice every attempt to impose Kosovo independence.
The Prime Minister's speech in full:

"Honourable members of Parliament,At the beginning of the year, you unanimously entrusted this executive authority and its negotiating team with the task of representing the interest of the people and the country at the talks on Kosovo future. We took the obligation upon ourselves to inform you on the course of the talks and all our decisions on a regular basis, which, as you can see, we have fulfilled. You, as well as all Serbian citizens, must be aware that in the period behind us, there was not an argument we did not put forward, a possibility we did not consider, doors we did not knock at, that we missed nothing and cringed before nobody. We remained patient and composed and stuck to the framework which was determined by the Resolution adopted by you, that is parliament. Faced with terrible prejudice, predilections and impartialities on behalf of the other side which, however, lacked counterarguments and was not prepared to compromise, we strove, and I believe that we managed, to remain steadfast and reasonable. These are the reasons why the Serbian government has asked that this session be called and that you give it an opportunity to stand before you with a report on what has been done, as well as with proposed future steps.Honourable members of parliament, in this historical moment it has befallen us and our entire generation to jointly state our opinion and make the decision regarding Kosovo-Metohija. We are not the first in the history of our people and our state to declare ourselves on Kosovo, but we know that in the course of our entire history there has been only one possible answer. Ever since those who lost their lives in Kosovo six centuries ago and during all the generations that lived fought and died for Kosovo, this answer has been that Kosovo has always been and will always remain the constituent part of Serbia. This both facilitates our position at this moment and makes it more difficult. On one hand, it is even more difficult because we must be aware of our responsibility and worthy of our answer, whereas on the other hand, it is facilitated because of the very fact that the answer to the Kosovo issue cannot be new, because as long as there is Serbia there will be no other answer. It is thus even more so because none of our predecessors was asked this question the way we are today and none of them was demanded to do what we others demand from us. It is demanded, honourable parliament members, no more no less than that we give up Kosovo-Metohija and concede to the outrageous intention that another independent ethnic Albanian state be formed on our territory.Serbia has to declare itself on Kosovo status once again and we must do this fully aware of the gravity and far-reaching consequences of the historical issue we are faced with today. When it comes to Kosovo-Metohija, nothing can remain unsaid, vague, hazy or unclear. On the contrary, while looking straight in the eyes of those who are to decide the fate of Kosovo and thus of entire Serbia, we must with all our democratic forces defend our sovereignty and make our stance legal before the whole world. Ever since Serbia came to be, every member of our people comes and goes from this world with an awareness that Kosovo has been and will always be a constituent part of Serbia. It has been given to us, who represent Serbian citizens at the moment, the supreme obligation that we reiterate this truth by inscribing it in capital letters into the new Serbian constitution. This means but one thing: for the state of Serbia, Kosovo will never be independent. It also means that for Serbia, even if it is seized through legal violence, Kosovo-Metohija will always be a part of Serbia according to its constitution. If we decide today to put into the new constitution the undisputable truth that Kosovo is a part of Serbia, we would make a fatefully important and only possible decision. We will thus send everyone an unambiguous message that as for Kosovo-Metohija, the state of Serbia is obliged solely and only by that which is stated in its constitution. In other words, the world must know that as long as there is Serbia, Kosovo will for us be its inseparable province.In light of all this, it is in Serbia's utmost interest that the new constitution is adopted in which unanimously, through the will of all the parties, and most importantly, through the will that the entire people and all citizens will state at the referendum, we will underline that Kosovo-Metohija is simply Serbia. If there were any more or less justified objective obstacles to the new constitution, then now, when Kosovo is at stake, we must subdue everything to this task of supreme state and national interest. We can discard any thought that the referendum on the new constitution might fail, because I firmly believe that we all share the belief that there is no citizen in Serbia who will refrain from voting at the referendum on the new constitution solely because the constitution will claim that Kosovo belongs to Serbia and will for ever remain its constituent part. Honourable members of parliament, you know that on July 24 we talked in Vienna with ethnic Albanian representatives from Kosovo-Metohija. Everything they said (and for some of them our country has reasons to suspect of having Serbian blood on their hands) in the presence of international mediators comes down to the fact that they would like to have another ethnic Albanian state and that this new state should be on Serbia's territory. The strong will and eager wish to be given 15% of Serbia's territory so they can have another state they did not manage to back or explain by even a single argument or the slightest rational reason. I wish to tell you that at the talks, our arguments were by far superior since they were based on the principles of justice, international law, democratic values and European standards. Since we were deprived of hearing at least one argument in favour of Kosovo independence, both on that occasion as well as all the previous ones, at the next round, held on August 8, international mediator Martti Ahtisaari took it upon himself to put forward the only argument in favour of independence so far. This outrageous argument for taking away the territory from our people is known to the entire world today and it says that "Serbs are guilty as a nation". If anyone in Serbia or international community still wonders whether Ahtisaari actually said that "Serbs are guilty as a nation", the answer is categorical. Yes, he did say that and in these exact words.We reacted to Ahtisaari's stance calmly and on principle, and not excessively as some said. The least we expected was that Ahtisaari apologizes to the Serbian people. However, it turned out that the diplomat found it more difficult to apologize than to insult an entire nation. He not only failed to do what was in itself natural and just, but soon stepped forward with new accusations against Serbia. Be as it may, Serbian parliament is under obligation to clearly and unambiguously condemns Ahtisaari's statement that Serbs are guilty as a nation. Whether the Special Envoy has retained the authority of an international mediator after all this and whether we can trust his impartiality and objectivity, at least when it concerns Serbia, it is needless to say. Serbian parliament must find a permanent and comprehensive answer to all the problems we are yet to face concerning Kosovo. I firmly believe that our best answer, both by its far-reaching consequences and its strength needed to survive all the pressure and temptations that may lie ahead, is that Serbian parliament passes the new constitution and thus unanimously and within the shortest possible period, that is by end-December, confirms our unanimous and steadfast position that Kosovo is a constituent part of Serbia. On the other hand, any imposed solution based on the use of force and legal violence would be nothing but clear and brutal seizure of our territory. When almost a sixth of the territory of a free, sovereign and democratic country is seized, then all foundations crumble and all democratic values are destroyed, principles of international law and order are violated, and in fact the very structure of the modern world is brought into question. And of course – all of that seriously jeopardizes the stability of our entire region. Our position is perfectly simple. When it comes to the issue of Kosovo-Metohija, Serbia speaks of its Constitution, of the principles of international law upon which the UN and the entire international order rest, of the universally accepted values of democracy and it speaks of European standards for solving minority issues. Serbia speaks of compromise and a historically just solution. Serbia says that Serbs have lived with ethnic Albanians for centuries and we want that this co-existence in the province, for the first time in history, be founded on democratic principles through substantial autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija. What can be controversial about that? What is wrong regarding Serbia’s position on the issue? Is it wrong that we advocate respect of international law upon which today’s international order rests or perhaps we are mistaken when we seek a compromise solution?In any case before it occurs to anyone to say to us that we should give up a sixth portion of our territory, a territory where our country originated and which is the birthplace of the spirit of our nation and culture, they should consider the fact that such an event, more precisely, such an experiment has never taken place before in the history of Europe. Those countries which might favour the idea of an independent Kosovo-Metohija should think what 15% of their territory means to them, in order to better understand what is being demanded of Serbia. It is difficult to find a better argument than the unquestionable truth that such a seizure of territory has never occurred anywhere, and no country has ever accepted that, or could possibly do so.If a country steps forward, ready instead of Serbia, to give 15% of its territory as a gift, it might be possible to meet the demands being made by ethnic Albanians to create another country of their own. As far as Serbia is concerned, Kosovo-Metohija is our territory and no one may give away as a gift that which belongs to us. The same rules and principles applied to the rest of democratic European countries must also be applied for a 21st century Serbia and any attempt at enforcing a precedent just when Kosovo-Metohija is in question would mean that we are being asked to humiliate ourselves as a country and a nation, to give up our dignity and to trample underfoot the honour of our entire nation.We all know more than well that one man alone cannot defend Kosovo-Metohija, just as one man alone cannot lose it. Kosovo-Metohija can be defended only by the entire nation or the entire nation, if it decides to, can lose it. Ever since Kosovo-Metohija came into being it has belonged to and has been cherished by the entire nation and will always be a matter that concerns all of Serbia and the entire Serbian nation. A firm and well guided national will, if it seals the referendum on a new constitution which will confirm that Kosovo-Metohija is the very heart of Serbia, will become the most reliable guarantee that we have given a dignified answer to the question we are faced with in this new test in the history of Kosovo-Metohija.The Serbian government considers that the parliament's decision to approve the participation in talks on the province's future status, initiated by the UN Security Council, is exceptionally good and wise. Serbia has thus proved that it is capable of taking its share of responsibility for finding a compromise solution, which would serve the essential interests of Serbs and the ethnic Albanians in the province. Our position is objectively made easy by the fact that all relevant arguments favour the Serbian side. We are opposed by very dangerous, though more or less concealed, ideas about an ethnically cleansed and independent Kosovo-Metohija, which are based on nothing but the use of aggression. Our negotiating team was most seriously prepared to discuss any subject and any form of talks in negotiations conducted so far. We defended our position with responsibility and reason at every step, and it is the force of our arguments which is most probably the reason why there has been no progress whatsoever in the talks. Ethnic Albanians are simply not interested in serious negotiations, and are arrogantly secure in their belief that they have been given in advance something that does not belong to them, an independent Kosovo-Metohija.When Kosovo-Metohija is in question, Serbia cannot afford any arbitrariness or trifling. That is why we will not permit a single punctuation mark to be put on the wrong place, whether the matter at hand is decentralisation, economy or any other subject. Criticism regarding the allegedly non-constructive behaviour of Belgrade in the negotiations held so far was heard several times from various sides. We must be open and say that this criticism in fact means that Belgrade is considered to be non-constructive just because it refuses to accept an independent Kosovo. The actual truth is that, precisely by deciding not to accept and never to accede to the seizure of part of its territory, Serbia has chosen to take the most constructive and most responsible role when the stability, peace and prosperity of our region are viewed in the long run, which undoubtedly represents the highest and most lasting of values. Everyone should know that Serbia will not support any thoughtless and hastily brought solution which could set a precedent and worsen the already more than complicated Kosovo-Metohija issue. We want to remind in time all those rushing to solve this issue one way or the other that we, and not they, live in this region, and we would especially like to stress that those whose lives are in question know the true value of a good and viable solution compared to any premature, nervous and forced decision.This is also the proper place and time to emphasize that the fact that our country is participating in the talks on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija with responsibility does not mean that Serbia, just by its participation in the talks could give legitimacy to an imposed solution. Serbia can, is ready and certainly will give legitimacy to a solution which is the result of agreement and represents a compromise. Our proven determination to find a compromise gives us the right, in accordance with the Resolution adopted by this house, to firmly reject and declare invalid any solution which is not a result of an agreement reached with Serbia.Honourable members of parliament, even though every single one of our arguments is superior and uncontroversial, they must be made more powerful, substantiated with the confirmation given by the unwavering will of the Serbian nation that we are to defend, with all political and legal means, that which is ours, namely Kosovo-Metohija. The unanimous conviction of the entire nation to fight for justice and truth leaves us without any other option: today more than ever, we are obliged to oppose, with law and justice, any attempt at imposing an independent Kosovo-Metohija. If we do as much as we can and should for Kosovo-Metohija and Serbia, then our nation and history will never forget us. I thank you for your attention."

Synaxis of the Saints of Serbia

THE ASSEMBLY OF THE HOLY SERBIAN ENLIGHTENERS AND TEACHERS
Chosen ones of God, Serbian saints,
Teachers wise and enlighteners,
Princes spiritual, glorious heroes.
Of the flock of Christ, most good shepherds,
God you served, denied themselves
And beacons you were to your people:
Of divine characteristics, God-bearing men,
From the Holy Trinity, the light you received,
Generously you received and everywhere dispersed it,
And from your labors, miracles sprouted.
In the footprints of Sava, all walked straight
Throughout the Serbian land, holiness you raised,
Faith in the Word of God, you confirmed,
In the new garment, you clothed the souls,
With beautiful churches, you adorned the land,
O men of God, "equal to the angels!"
Of the Serbian people, you were angels,
To glorify God, you taught the Serbs,
To worship the Savior, the living Christ,
And faithfully served the Holy Gospel.
In heaven, that is why the Lord glorified you
And, as candles before the Serbian people, placed you
That living in heaven you shine on earth
To lead your people to truth and justice.
As long as the Serbian people, your example admire
By your prayers until then, the people will live.
--st. nikolai velimirovic

Popovic Suggest Former Serbian Workers Return to KEK

Serbia comes up with new proposal to solve energy crisis in Kosovo-Metohija
Belgrade, Sept 7, 2006 – Head of the Serbian government’s economic team for Kosovo-Metohija and south of Serbia Nenad Popovic said that with a view of solving the energy crisis in Kosovo-Metohija it will officially request that UNMIK allow Serbian experts to join the management of the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK).
Popovic stressed that he will propose a mixed team of experts which will include Serbs who worked for the Kosovo energy company prior to 1999 and who are familiar with the situation in the Kosovo energy sector. Serbian experts must form part of KEK's management because they know every metre of the electrical network and every square metre of the open-pit mines and thermoelectric power plants of Kosovo A and B, the head of the Economic team pointed out. It has become clear to everyone that inadequate capacities are not the only reason for the energy crisis in the province, but poor management as well, which is confirmed by resignations of KEK chief executive officers John Ashley and Sean McGoldrick, he said. Popovic expressed hope that this, third consecutive initiative of the Economic team for the resolution of the electrical crisis in Serbia's southern province will be accepted.

Accounts Open For Those Who Want to Help Kosovo-Metohija

Fund for Kosovo-Metohija Payment Accounts
The Serbian Ministry of Finance has opened foreign currency accounts at the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) with the aim of collecting funds from the Diaspora for aid to Kosovo-Metohija:- for payments in EUR, account number 54119-978-706, at the NBS’s international correspondent bank DEUTSCHE BANK AG F/M- for payments in USD, account number 54119-840-706, at the NBS’s international correspondent bank DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST CO. AMERICAS, NEW YORK- for payments in CAD, account number 54119-124-706, at the NBS’s international correspondent bank BANK OF MONTREAL, TORONTO- for payments in AUD, account number 54119-036-706, at the NBS’s international correspondent bank NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED, MELBOURNEThe ministry also reminds donors that it has opened a dinar account, number 840-1267721-44, at the Serbian Administration of Public Payments for the same purpose.
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Pristina and Belgrade Work to Protect Churches

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060908-121038-5182r
Serbs, Albanians agree on Kosovo churches
VIENNA, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Serbian officials and ethnic-Albanian leaders say they are satisfied with Friday's talks in Vienna on the protection of churches in Serbia's Kosovo province.
The session on establishing protection zones around Serbian churches and monasteries was one of very few successful rounds of the U.N.-led talks, begun in February in Vienna on the final status of the predominantly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo province.
Serbian and Albanian negotiators were positive about the round of talks on the protection of religious and cultural sites in Kosovo, Belgrade's Beta news agency reported.
Kosovo is formally part of Serbia, but since 1999 ethnic hostilities the province has been under the U.N. administration and NATO troops' protection.
The ongoing talks should decide who will govern Kosovo once U.N. and NATO personnel leave.
Ethnic-Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo's 1.8 million population, insist on Kosovo independent of the Serbian government in Belgrade. Serbia's leaders, who represent some 100,000 Serbs in Kosovo, reject any independent status and offer a high degree of autonomy for the province.Story Tools: -->

Albanians Frustrate Negotiations

Two-day round of talks on religious and cultural heritage ends
Belgrade/Vienna, Sept 8, 2006 – Belgrade and Pristina negotiating teams ended the two-day round of talks that mainly focused on jurisdictions of future Serb municipalities in Kosovo, the number of protected zones of religious and cultural monuments, supervision of the agreement on the return of historically important items, human rights issues and rights of ethnic communities.
Serbian President’s Advisor Aleksandar Simic told a press conference he was surprised with the rigid position of Kosovo Albanians on issues where agreement was so close as well as with rejection of Serbian proposal with no valid argument. He said that the talks could have failed as Kosovo Albanians presented their document with a subtitle “Overall Vision of Rights of Communities in the Independent State of Kosovo”. Therefore, the Serbian team symbolically handed over the Albanian delegation the valid Serbian Constitution, he said. President of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Sanda Raskovic-Ivic said that the main problem in the talks between Belgrade and Pristina occurred because the Kosovo Albanians did not allow for enhanced and additional jurisdictions to be given to municipalities with a majority Serb population. Raskovic-Ivic said that from the very beginning of talks on decentralisation it was clear that the idea of broadened powers in the fields of education, health, social security, culture, cultural heritage and church issues referred only to Serbian majority municipalities. Now the ethnic Albanian delegation tried to completely relativise that principle with the position that all municipalities in Kosovo-Metohija should enjoy those special rights. That would annul our idea of special protection of the Serbian community in Kosovo, through the concept of decentralisation. We turned down that proposal of the ethnic Albanian delegation and now we have to continue the talks on this issue, Raskovic-Ivic said. As for the relations between Serbian municipalities and Belgrade, the ethnic Albanian side tried to reject any form of cooperation of Serbian municipalities with institutions and agencies of the Serbian government, Raskovic-Ivic said. They have reduced the cooperation between Serbian municipalities and Serbia to cooperation with non-governmental organisations, more or less. In that respect, we have to point to the very fair reaction of the mediators who warned the ethnic Albanian side that they are returning the talks to the very beginning, the head of the Coordinating Centre said. This time, talks on decentralisation have been much more objective and less biased than before, she said. We see that as a positive step forward and a chance to reach a solution that will secure conditions for a decent life of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, Raskovic-Ivic concluded. When it comes to the protection of cultural and religious heritage, Belgrade proposed the formation of 39 protection zones around churches and monasteries, Raskovic-Ivic said, adding that the Serbian side has already made a concession by reducing the size of protection zones from 6,500 to 5,500 hectares. In addition, the formation of a commission that would deal with the implementation of the agreement on protection zones and its supervision was also discussed at the meeting.

Former Homeland Security Chief Hired by Albanians

Albania hires Tom Ridge as a consultant
September 04, 2006 11:51 AM
TIRANA, Albania-Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Monday that he hired former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge as a consultant to advise his government on a range of issues including NATO membership, fighting corruption and tackling organized crime.
Ridge, 61, was to meet with Albanian Cabinet ministers on Monday before attending an official dinner in the capital Tirana, Berisha's spokesman Neritan Sejamini said.
Under the agreement, Ridge will make occasional visits to Albania, but will primarily work with the government from the United States, Sejamini said. Experts employed by Ridge will also provide advice, he said, but gave no details.
Ridge will begin work this month, Sejamini said, but he declined to give details of the contract the government was to sign with Ridge.
Ridge's main priority will be to help Albania meet its goal of joining NATO in 2008, Berisha said. Ridge has also been hired to help Albania attract U.S. investment, fight money laundering and reform its justice system, he said.
The former Pennsylvania governor will also help the country develop its agriculture and information technology sectors, Berisha said.
"I believe these goals may be achieved and I am looking forward to starting to work together with you on their realization," Ridge was quoted as saying in a statement released by Berisha's office.
The small, predominantly Muslim, Adriatic country is one of the poorest countries in Europe and aspires to one-day join the European Union.
Ridge cut short his second term as Pennsylvania governor when U.S. President George W. Bush appointed him to coordinate homeland security after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. He was named the head of the department a year later and stepped down in February 2005.

Ahtisaari Makes Provocative Statements

Ahtisaari must explain new accusation
Belgrade, Sept 2, 2006 – Head of the Serbian government’s Office of Media Relations Srdjan Djuric said last night that it was expected that UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Kosovo-Metohija Marti Ahtisaari will offer a public apology instead he has made a new and serious accusation that “Serbia is brandishing weapons”.
In a statement to the news agency Tanjug Djuric said it is very important that the international mediator explains and says in which manner Serbia is brandishing weapons.Does our demand that Ahtisaari apologise to us because of serious insults he directed towards us mean to him that Serbia is brandishing weapons or does he think brandishing implies something else, said Djuric. He stressed that it is important Ahtisaari explains what his newest accusation means.He recalled that earlier in Vienna Ahtisaari took the position that Serbs are guilty as a nation and now he is expressing his regret over, what he considers Belgrade’s exaggerated interpretation of his statement, with which he has stigmatised the entire Serbian nation.According to Djuric, the government is firmly convinced that Ahtisaari should have found the strength and dignity to make a clear public apology.Djuric added that at the same time it is impossible not to notice that Ahtisaari has not spoken a single word to condemn the terrorist attack in Kosovo-Metohija which took place directly after his first accusation, and that attack did not qualify to be termed as brandishing weapons.

Julia Gorin Speaks On Kosovo and the International Community

Jewish World Review August 31, 2006 / 6 Elul, 5766
The Bush Doctrine need not apply
By Julia Gorin

Although Kosovo set a terrifying precedent for Israel, at least two Jews are happy about it. In a recent Wall St. Journal-Europe piece titled Balkan Choice", Morton Abramowitz and Mark Schneider write that Serbian President Vojislav Kostunica's opposition to Kosovo independence risks making his country an "international pariah."
Have these two been asleep for 15 years? Serbia has been a pariah since it began fighting Islamo-nationalist terror without the West's permission. Serbs were the first ones fingered in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the ones bombed by Bill Clinton in 1995 for a Sarajevo marketplace massacre - despite British intelligence warnings that a Bosnian-Muslim mortar was responsible. That other pariah state, Israel, is familiar with such frame-ups, and it's no coincidence that Israel quietly aided Serbs militarily, aware of Islamic terrorist ties to the Bosnian army, including Palestinians operating in Bosnia.
When Israel confronts terrorism, it's called self-defense. When Serbia does, it's "poisonous nationalism" - as a Washington Post editorial called it the same week ("Serbia's Intransigence"). Quite strategically, the word "Muslim" appears nowhere in either article, lest the world finally catch on to what we "achieved" in the Balkans. Instead, the authors promote the term "Albanian Kosovar," a flashback to the journalistic ploy that ensured a multi-national war against European Christians on behalf of Muslims.
Abramowitz and Schneider write that Milosevic's "attempted ethnic cleansing [has] made anything less than independence totally unacceptable to the people of Kosovo." The "people of Kosovo" to whom the authors so reverently refer use Serbian children for target practice. Kosovo is dominated by thugs who have attacked Serbs 186 times just since getting the green light for final-status talks last October. The bruises, broken bones and graves of their victims - infant to octogenarian, male or female - are on display in the DVD documentary " Days Made of Fear." As for Milosevic's "attempted ethnic cleansing," all that can be said is that people who haven't followed even a day of a four-year trial shouldn't write op-eds relying on popular mythology.
Abramowitz and Schneider even have the poor taste to repeat the disingenuous assurances of a NATO presence enforcing international guarantees to protect the Serb minority - as if oblivious that NATO hasn't been able to prevent the almost daily kidnappings and attacks on the remaining Serbs, and was helpless even to stop the 2004 pogrom in which NATO troops themselves were attacked by Albanians. Incredibly, the authors write that the Kosovars have "met enough of the standards to get U.N. Security Council endorsement of final status negotiations" - as if one monitoring group after another hasn't exposed the fact that the internationals have simply given up on any standards being met. (The UN is planning to evacuate tens of thousands of Serbs the moment we hand Kosovo to the terrorists this year.)
"Serbia is going to have to accept Kosovo independence" is code-speak for the West buckling under to terrorism in the Balkans as usual. It's all the more unconscionable, given that today we know the London and Madrid explosives came from Kosovo.
The authors conclude by saying that Serbia will be better off "living in peace with a new Kosovo." Just like Israel will be better off living "in peace" with a Hamas-led Palestine.
For its part, The Washington Post criticizes Serbia for "repeatedly [failing] to meet a critical condition for moving forward [toward EU and NATO membership], which is the arrest of indicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic." While fugitive Serbian war criminals are fixated on, Albanian war criminals are allowed to enjoy political careers. Notice that no such criticism is raised about Kosovo's prime minister Agim Ceku - a former KLA commander who is indicted in Serbia for command responsibility in terrorist killings of over 600 Serbs, Roma, Albanians and others, including beheading, torture, mutilation, and abducting more than 500 people, most presumed dead. The KLA, meanwhile, trained in al-Qaeda camps prior to our 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia.
When America is leading a global war on jihad terror, it's difficult to understand how Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warmly greeted this wanted terrorist in Washington this summer.
We cannot fight terrorism with one hand while abetting it with the other. As UN human rights observer Jiri Dienstbier has noted, "If NATO and the UN can't defeat terrorism in an area the size of one-eighth of the Czech Republic, how do they expect to confront global terrorism?"
Although the intelligence community is fully aware of the Kosovo threat, our political leaders and media are denying it. The Post editors refer to "a firm Western consensus" that the province "should be granted independence before the end of this year." Translation: America and Europe are taking the Wesley Clark approach and appeasing the Albanian violence meant to persuade us that there can be only one outcome - theirs. Recall that the "firm Western consensus" in 1999 was that Kosovo would have autonomy precisely without becoming independent.
To get back into the West's good graces, the beaten-down Serbs have lain prostrate for the past seven years throughout the continuing dismemberment of their country and security. And yet, any leader - no matter how democratic and pro-Western (Kostunica is a Constitutional scholar) - who tries to draw the line with the number of concessions Serbs will make to their tormentors sounds "disturbingly like Slobodan Milosevic," according to The Post.
Terror aside, the criminal rackets (sex slavery, the heroin trade) in Kosovo are closely linked to the KLA leadership that dominates the local Albanian administration operating under UN auspices, and are already a menace to Europe. If organized crime is uncontrolled under UN and NATO supervision, how will Kosovo's independence improve things when the racketeers become the sovereign government?
It's time to stop writing in a vacuum about the Balkan region and our handiwork there. It happens to be the most key region nearest us in the War on Terror. As the 9/11 Commission found, it was in 1990s Bosnia that the "groundwork for a true terrorist network was being laid." That network is today known as al Qaeda.
This year, we continue the march toward a Greater (and eventually Muslim-only) Albania that will usurp Kosovo (and soon Macedonia and parts of Greece). By signing the Christian Serbs' Jerusalem over to the terrorists, we will give terrorism the boost it struggled for throughout the 90s. Instead of influencing their government away from such treachery, Americans shrug.
What our media and politicians have successfully striven to keep from the American public is that Serbs have historically been on the front line in halting the advance of barbarism into Europe--first against Islam in the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, then against the Third Reich (the Serbian nation lost proportionally more lives fighting the Nazis than any other), and then in the 90s against the Muslim and Croatian heirs of the Nazis--before we tied their hands and inherited their burden.
When the Milosevic trial opened in February 2002, the former Serbian "disproportionate force" president showed photos of disembodied Serbian heads. The late Judge Richard May had little patience for this display, calling it irrelevant. To which Milosevic replied:
"It's not on the screens that the public sees. Right. I see it on this screen now. But this internal screen only. So he is holding a head, the head of a Serb that he cut off. So those are the 20,000 Mujahedin that were brought to the European theatre of war through Clinton's policy, and most of them remained there and some went to America and to other countries, and they went all around Europe. And then when they start beheading your own people in wars to come, then you will know what this is all about."
I thought we'd gotten the memo by now.
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Aden Dribrani, a hemophilia sufferer, may not have been the perpetrator

Kosovska Mitrovica bombing suspect detained
29 August 2006 19:19 Source: Beta
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- 16-year-old Adem Dibrani has been jailed for a 30-day detention period.The Priština media is reporting today that Dibrani suffers from hemophilia, while his parents are quoted as saying he had undergone a brain surgery, resulting in memory-loss, and has since always been accompanied by a family member.On the day of the attack, Dibrani was with his father and sister, in a shop in the southern part of the town. Dibrani’s sister claims he was in the middle of the bridge at the moment of the explosion, and had started running scared toward the southern part, which caused the police to chase after him and arrest him. The Kosovo media are also reporting on a possibility that the security cameras on the northern and southern ends of the bridge might have malfunctioned at the moment of the explosion. UNMIK police: Serb leaders helpedUNMIK police has published a report on the events that followed the grenade explosion in a café in Kosovska Mitrovica. UNMIK police communicated that order was established in the wake of the attack, and reported on the events that immediately followed the attack: “Right after the attack, a group of people, approximately 500 strong, gathered around the cafe and at the northern end of the bridge, protesting the violence. The bridge was closed and access points barricaded as a result.” “Another woman was injured as a result of the events that took place after the incident itself. The 57-year-old was in the passenger seat of a vehicle attempting to drive through a large number of people, and was hit by a stone. The vehicle continued to move through the crowd, passed the barricades and went across the bridge”, the police report says. The local media have earlier reported the woman in question was an Albanian and was hospitalized. UNMIK’s regional commander Gary Smith said the rapid reaction and the cooperation with the Kosovo Police Service, as well as with the Serb leaders and KFOR, prevented the situation from spinning out of control. “Immediately after the explosion, KPS members who were positioned at the bridge apprehended the person believed to have been involved, and transferred him to the police station. On Saturday night in critical moments the leadership of the Serbian National Council helped UNMIK Police to keep the situation under control and defuse the tension”, Smith said.

PM of Replubika of Sprska: International Standards Should Be Uniformly Applied

International law and principles must be consistently implemented in entire region
Belgrade, Aug 31, 2006 – Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica talked today with Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik.
From left: Nebojsa Radmanovic, Velimir Ilic, Milorad Dodik, Vojislav Kostunica and Milan JelicThe Serbian Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska sharply criticised the statement by Marti Ahtisaari that “Serbs are guilty as a nation”.It is impermissible that an international mediator whose role is to lead talks with impartiality and equally represent interests of two sides discriminates against the entire Serb nation, stressed the prime ministers.Kostunica and Dodik jointly stated that keeping in mind the fact that the special envoy in talks on Kosovo-Metohija represents the UN it is necessary that Marti Ahtisaari holds to the principles and values which are established by the Charter of the UN.Dodik expressed full support for the Serbian negotiating team in its efforts to secure a compromise and just solution for the future status of the southern Serbian province.Dodik particularly stressed that the same principles and same rules of international law must be consistently implemented in the entire region.The two prime ministers expressed great satisfaction with the development of bilateral economic relations, and agreement was reached that on September 26 a large business conference is held in Banja Luka, to be attended by members of both governments and a large number of entrepreneurs from Republika Srpska and Serbia.Changes in the agreement on special parallel relations between Serbia and Republika Srpksa were examined, and it was said that this agreement will be signed as soon as possible.The talks were also attended by Serbian ministers Velimir Ilic and Predrag Bubalo, and ministers of Republika Srpska, Nebojsa Radmanovic and Milan Jelic.

Raskovic-Ivic To Represent Kosovo-Metohija at UN on September 11

Diplomatic initiative for clarifying Ahtisaari's statement
Belgrade, Aug 31, 2006 - Head of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Sanda Raskovic-Ivic said today that Serbian authorities will request that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan clarifies the statement made by his envoy for Kosovo status Marti Ahtisaari that "the Serbs are guilty as a nation."
Raskovic-Ivic said at a press conference that with this statement, Ahtisaari placed the Serbian people outside the law. She added that Belgrade will insist on an explanation because that statement additionally complicates negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on Kosovo-Metohija and that Serbia is ready to accept Ahtisaari's apology.The head of the Coordinating Centre said that a diplomatic initiative on clarifying Ahtisaari's statement was taken by the cabinets of the Serbian president and prime minister, as well as the Foreign Ministry. She said that the Serbian government today sent to the Serbian parliament a request to hold an extraordinary session on Kosovo-Metohija, which will most probably take place after the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina in Vienna on September 7 and 8, on decentralisation and protection of the Serbian orthodox religious and cultural heritage in the province. Raskovic-Ivic announced that at that session Serbian government representatives will address Serbian parliament members. She also confirmed that the UN Security Council will hold a session in New York on September 11 dedicated to the situation in Kosovo-Metohija at which she will present Serbia's positions on Kosovo-Metohija. At today's session, the Serbian government adopted the National Investment Plan for Kosovo-Metohija, for which it has set aside €30.8 million from the budget. She said that these funds are intended for Kosovo's economic development, for road infrastructure in the province, housing construction and education, stressing that these funds are very important for the survival of Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija and for the process of decentralisation.

Vuk Draskovic On Western Emphasis On Collective Guilt

Drašković calls for historical research
Vuk Drašković (FoNet)
Serbia should ask the international community for an expert analysis of historical responsibility in Kosovo. This is what Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Vuk Drašković told daily Večernje Novosti. He said that Serbia should call for an investigation into who is responsible for the situation in Kosovo historically, starting from the beginning of Serbian-Albanian relations in the region. He said that Serbia would come out the victor in such an investigation. “The questions of responsibility and of collective guilt, which has not existed since the clan system of communities, are two separate things. What Ahtisaari said in Priština has made it necessary for Serbia to ask the UN Secretary General, Contact Group and international community to call for an investigation of the heritage of Kosovo, and with that, the responsibility of the inheritance, and the responsibility of all, from the beginning, without skipping over history and not having history proclaimed as only the period that Slobodan Milošević was in power.” Drašković said. Drašković said that while there is no doubt that Serbia is to blame, to some extent, he said thatit has already been punished through bombing and international sanctions. He said that the Serbian Kosovo status negotiation team did not discuss Kosovo Coordination Centre President Sanda Rašković-Ivić’s proposal to call for Ahtisaari to be excluded from the further process of Kosovo status discussions. Asked whether he thinks that it is possible for the international community to use this theory of blame and responsibility in order to justify an imposed solution of Kosovo independence, Drašković said that he is afraid that this is possible. According to him, the Foreign Affairs Ministry is working on a diplomatic offensive every day in response to Ahtisaari’s comments, but that these facts, proposals and suggestions are not being released to the Serbian public.
Diplomacy & IR - Most relevant news
Wednesday, 30 August 2006

Jua Hiang Responds For Martti Ahtisaari

Ahtisaari spokesperson replies to criticisms
30 August 2006 09:37 -> 12:34 Source: B92, Večernje novosti
BELGRADE -- Hua Jiang has responded to Belgrade’s reactions regarding the recent remarks of Martti Ahtisaari.Over the last week, Belgrade officials, led by Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica, have been denouncing the UN Special Envoy’s statement that the Serbian people are to blame for the Kosovo crisis, because of their historical legacy and the actions of the Milošević regime.Political leaders in Serbia are mulling over an initiative to have Ahtisaari replaced as the UN’s Special Envoy for the Kosovo status discussions because of what Belgrade calls, Ahtisaari’s strong prejudices which he holds against the Serbian people. Ahtisaari’s chief spokesperson, Hua Jiang, responded to the accusations today. “The remarks in question were mis-presented and taken out of context: the Special Envoy never referred to “the collective guilt” of the Serbia nation. He noted, in response to a remark by a member of the Serbian Delegation on the August 8 that every nation had its own burden to bear and had to live and deal with its past.” Jiang said. “The remarks were subsequently made public with mis-presentation. The Special Envoy, during his visit to Priština, repeated and elaborated the remarks by saying that while today’s democratic leadership in Serbia cannot be held accountable for the policies and actions of the Milošević regime, leaders in Belgrade must come to terms with its legacy and have important responsibilities in this respect.” she said. Jiang said that Ahtisaari said that the historic legacy cannot be simply ignored but must be taken into account in the search of the resolution of the status question. “The Special Envoy has always held the view that the status process is about creating conditions for all communities, including the Serb community, to live a decent life in Kosovo. To that end, the Special Envoy will continue to concentrate on the substance of the negotiations instead of engaging in polemics.” Jiang said. Drašković calls for historical research

Serbia Wants An Explanation-Kofi Annan Stands Behind Antisaari

Serbian negotiating team’s letter to Ahtisaari

Belgrade, August 30, 2006 – The Serbian government has published the letter forwarded by the Serbian negotiating team for talks on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija to UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari sent on August 10 2006.
The Serbian government’s website presents the letter in full.

“Dear Mr. Ahtisaari,

The Serbian negotiating team wishes to express to you their deep dissatisfaction and bitterness over the conversation between you and members of the Serbian delegation, which took place on August 8 2006.On that occasion you received members of our delegation in your capacity as UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for talks on the future status of Kosovo- Metohija, and told them that Serbs are guilty as a nation. All members of the Serbian delegation who were present during that conversation have confirmed this.The Serbian negotiating team categorically rejects such an assertion, because it has no factual basis, and is at the same time completely unacceptable from a moral point of view. However, such an assertion also raises serious questions regarding your impartiality concerning the ongoing negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija.The Serbian negotiating team demands an urgent explanation from you concerning your position in view of the assertion made by you to members of the Serbian delegation in Vienna on August 8 2006. In our opinion, such an explanation is necessary in the interest of continuing the negotiations and the successful conclusion of the negotiating process.”On behalf of the Serbian negotiating team,Leon KojenSlobodan Samardzic


BELGRADE, PRIŠTINA -- The Serbian Government will call for a parliamentary meeting to be held regarding Kosovo.
The Belgrade negotiation team will present a report on the progress of the Kosovo status discussions, said the Government’s Media Office Director Srđan Đurić.It is still not completely certain whether Belgrade will launch an initiative to have the UN’s Special Envoy for the Kosovo status discussions Martti Ahtisaari replaced because of his recent comment that the Serbian people are to blame for the Kosovo crisis. Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica said that the Government and the entire negotiation delegation will systematically lead diplomatic actions towards making sure that all relevant international officials know that Ahtisaari, as the Prime Minister said, holds strong prejudices against the Serbian people. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s spokesperson Brandon Varma said that Annan will continue to support Ahtisaari and that he will continue to lead the status talks, adding that his statement was taken out of context. Ahtisaari’s media spokesperson Remi Durlo confirmed this. Serbian decentralisation work group official Ranđel Nojkić said that the Chief of the US Office in Priština, Tina Kaidanow, held a meting with party leaders of the Kosovo parliament and commission presidents. “At the meeting, probably under the influence of Ahtisaari’s statement, a lot of far-reaching statements were heard. Sabit Hamiti, member of the Kosovo Parliament’s presidency and official of the Democratic Association of Kosovo, said that the Albanian team does not have the mandate to discuss Kosovo’s status, because the status has already been defined, and that it can only discuss technical questions. Teuta Sariči, ORA party member, said that the US administration has asked for support in the propaganda fight for highlighting the goals of the Albanian side. We reacted strongly to these statements and asked that the international community to prevent further statements of this nature, because such comments could encourage a new spiral of violence.” Nojkić said. “It is interesting that officials of non-Albanian communities and officials of parties that have non-Albanians within them showed distrust and disapproval towards the Albanian team. Distrust in the council led by Veton Suroi was also shown and it was asked that he be replaced as chief of the council because he is not helping the matter, rather causing more damage to the interests of the minority communities.” Nojkić said.

Why China's Support Makes News

29 August 2006

The Permanent members of the UN Security Council are United States, France, Britain, China and Russia. Although there are 10 additional rotating members, half who are due to give up their membership at the end of the year to make room for new members to serve the two year post, out of the entire membership, only the five permanent members have veto power. One of these members can veto the passage of a resolution deliberated and voted on by the entire Security Council. At this writing it seems that both Russia and China are opposed to an imposed solution to the Kosovo situation.
Sovereignty and territorial integrity as basis of international order
Belgrade, Aug 28, 2006 – Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica met today with Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan, who confirmed China’s support to consistent respect of principles of countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is, according to him, the basis of international order in the world.
UN resolutions must be respected, he said and noted that conditions for equal position of all living in Kosovo-Metohija must be provided. Jiaxuan also noted that solution to the status of Serbia’s southern province must be found through a dialogue. Jiaxuan pointed out the necessity of direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina, repeating China’s position that talks must not be time restricted. Kostunica thanked Jiaxuan for China’s consistent position about the Kosovo-Metohija status issue, which should be addressed in accordance with standards of international law and based on compromise, with no imposed solutions. The two officials agreed that cooperation between Serbia and China is developing and should further develop in the forthcoming period.

Church Saids UN Envoys are Bias

Church say UN envoys for Kosovo biased against Serbs
August 28, 2006 1:57 PM
BELGRADE, Serbia-The Serbian Orthodox Church on Monday accused the United Nations' top two envoys for Kosovo of siding with Kosovo's ethnic Albanians in negotiations over the province's future status.
The church, which wields considerable influence among Serbs, sharply criticized Joachim Ruecker, Kosovo's U.N. administrator, and Martti Ahtisaari, the U.N.'s chief envoy, saying they "have openly declared their pro-Albanian stances."
They "have joined a media campaign for (Kosovo) Albanian interests and wishes. Their recent statements have triggered surprise, worry and bitterness among the Serbian people," it said in a statement.
Later Monday, the Serbian government also accused Ahtisaari of bias, and said it is "taking diplomatic and other steps to resolve the situation over his statements, without jeopardizing the negotiation process." It did not elaborate.
The statements are the latest in a series of recent Serb criticism of U.N. officials, particularly veteran diplomat Ahtisaari, for comments he made on the legacy of the Milosevic regime.
"While today's democratic regime in Belgrade cannot be held responsible for the policies and actions of the Milosevic regime, leaders in Belgrade must come to terms with its legacy and have important responsibilities in this sense," Ahtisaari said last week.
"The historic legacy cannot simply be ignored, but must be taken into account in a search for a solution of the status question," he said in comments that enraged many Serbs.
U.N. officials in Kosovo refused Monday to respond to the allegations. "We do not comment on comments," said Remi Dourlot, a spokesman for Ahtisaari's office.
Gyorgy Kakuk, the spokesman for the U.N.'s mission in Kosovo, also refused to comment.
The U.N.-brokered negotiations on Kosovo's future status began earlier this year, with international mediators hoping to complete the process by the end of the year.
Ruecker, a German diplomat, was recently quoted saying he thought Kosovo would one day be an independent state.
Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, who are predominantly Muslim, want independence for the province while its Serbs, who are mostly Christian Orthodox, insist that the region, which they consider the cradle of their statehood and religion, remain part of Serbia.
The U.N. has administered Kosovo and NATO has guarded it since a 1999 NATO air war to halt the Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists, leaving Serbia with no authority over the region.
Kosovo's future status remains the last outstanding issue from the violent breakup of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.