[ALBSA-Info] Kostunica to Bush

[Agron Alibali]

Yugoslav leader complains to Bush about position of Serbs in Kosovo 

Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in English 1814 gmt 19 Oct 01 




Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica has sent a letter to US President Bush expressing concern that the rights of Serbs in Kosovo, as guaranteed by UN Security Council Resolution 1244, have not been implemented. He said Serbs were unlikely to vote in the 11 November elections in Kosovo "unless urgent and radical action is taken". "Terror rules the province. In such circumstances, elections appear nearly absurd," Kostunica warned, adding that his government had drawn up a draft declaration concerning the joint implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution. The following is the text of a report in English by Yugoslav state news agency Tanjug: 

Belgrade, 19 October: Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica addressed Friday 19 October a letter to his US counterpart George Bush, thanking him for his felicitations on the first anniversary of peaceful democratic changes in Yugoslavia, and expressing his concern over the non-compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 as regards Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo. 

The following is the official translation of the letter. "I would like to thank you most sincerely for your congratulations on the anniversary of the beginning of democratic changes in my country. I have deliberately used the word "beginning", fully aware how much we have yet to do. However, we have already achieved what matters most - the process of democratic transformation is now irreversible. 

"I very much appreciate the fact that you did not forget such an important date in our history despite the momentous challenges the US is facing. The horrific crime of 11 September did not only shake America, it shook and changed the world. 

"I would also like to assure you that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as a country that encountered the evil of terrorism long ago and has experienced it firsthand ever since, will be more than glad to engage in the international struggle against terrorism within the United Nations system. I sincerely hope that the world organization will establish an adequate institutional mechanism for that struggle. I believe you will agree that the United Nations, i.e., a collective security system based on the UN Charter, can provide the most appropriate framework for a relentless struggle against this contemporary plague. 

"To tell the truth, there is room for improvement in the UN modes of work and activities. Here I am referring primarily to Kosovo and the UN presence in that part of Yugoslav territory. It is with regret that I conclude that the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 has not been implemented in so far as Serbs and other non-Albanian citizens are concerned, in terms of their security, the return of the exiled and the search for the missing. Unless urgent and radical action is taken, I am afraid that worldwide calls upon the Serbs to take part in the 17 November election will be almost in vain. Having said this, I would like to note the following: the Serbs participated in the registration of voters en masse, responding primarily to my appeal and the invitation of the highest church dignitary, Patriarch Pavle. Unfortunately, despite that clearly demonstrated good will, UNMIK UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo has done practically nothing to improve their position (mere 126 of 226,000 displaced persons are included in UNMIK"s repatriation programme). Every single Kosovo Albanian party campaigns on the platform of future independence, in direct contravention of Resolution 1244 and even Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Hans Haekkerup's constitutional framework for provisional self-government. The security situation is worse every day, men and women are killed as they till their fields, while freedom of movement is restricted and exists only in Serb enclaves. Terror rules the province. In such circumstances, elections appear nearly absurd. 

"In a bid to do everything to bring the situation in Kosovo to a semblance of normality, we have prepared a draft declaration concerning joint implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which should be endorsed by the SRSG and a Special Representative of the Federal Government and the Government of the Republic of Serbia. The document confirms the fundamental principles of the Resolution 1244 and sets up a framework for cooperation between UNMIK and Kfor Kosovo Force on one side, and Yugoslav state organs on the other. The document also reaffirms the obligations set forth in the Resolution that relate to security and human rights, the safe return of all refugees and displaced persons, protection and reconstruction of cultural sites, and it also puts forward proposals on institutional cooperation between UNMIK, Kfor and Yugoslav state bodies in the fields of security, judiciary, education, health care and social welfare, information and media, local self-government and public property management. The goal is to protect the rights and interests of the citizens of Serb nationality and of other non-Albanian nationalities, proceeding from two principles stipulated by the Resolution - the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and substantial autonomy for Kosovo that is to be achieved through provisional institutions. This declaration does not strive to replace the constitutional framework but to complement it, in order to ensure better protection for Serb and other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo-Metohija. I do hope that the United Nations and Hans Haekkerup as special representative of the secretary-general will realize how important it is that they support the document. 

"I hope you understand that I write this letter with deep concern for the stability of my country as well as the region. The danger of terrorism in the Balkans in clear and present. Instability only (?accrues) it." 


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