[Kcc-News] Kosova Assembly adopts resolution against Serbia-Montenegro Constitution; against prejudice of status and annexation of Kosova (Radio21.net Nov 07, 2002) (fwd)

[Mentor Cana]

http://www.radio21.net/
Nov 07, 2002

1. Assembly adopts resolution against Serbia-Montenegro Constitution;
   against prejudice of status and annexation of Kosova

2. Steiner reacts after Assembly resolution: Neither Belgrade nor Prishtina
   can prejudge the Kosova status

3. Steiner: Brussels guaranteed me that Serbia-Montenegro Union will not
   decide Kosovas status

4. PM Rexhepi says Kosova will declare independence if Serbian-Montenegrin
   constitution accepted

5. British Foreign Secretary Straw: We support Steiner for the standards
   before the final status

6. Assembly: This is a serious provocation; Serbia is pushing towards war
   by including Kosova in its Constitution

### 1 ###

Assembly adopts resolution against Serbia-Montenegro Constitution; against
prejudice of status and annexation of Kosova

PRISHTINA, November 7 - Reiterating its defiant stance, Kosova's assembly
on Thursday adopted a resolution rejecting proposals that describe Kosova
as part of Serbia under planned constitutional provisions for a new loose
union of Serbia and Montenegro. The Assembly convinced that peace and
stability in the region could be affected, demands in the resolution that
the international community confronts the efforts of Serbia to annex the
territory of Kosova.

Kosovar Serbian representative Rada Trajkovic proposed that the
parliamentarians vote for whether or not “they want and respect” UN
Security Council Resolution 1244. Following a tense debate, parliament
speaker Nexhat Daci decided to put the proposal to a vote. It did not enter
the daily agenda. Trajkovic then proposed to vote for whether the
parliament respects Resolution 1244, despite the fact that it was
established and operates on the basis of this resolution. But Albanian MPs
were surprised at the way in which a resolution of the Security Council
could be voted for. Trajkovic and Gojko Savic each gave speeches several
times, and raised tensions in the parliament room. “The issue of the status
of Kosova and Metohija will lead to war again,” said Trajkovic, hitting the
podium with her fist.

After Serb lawmakers walked out in protest, Albanian deputies voted for the
measure in response to a constitution-drafting commission of Serbs and
Montenegrins which proposed to include a preamble stating that Kosova
remains part of Serbia. Albanian legislators called the proposed preamble
“unacceptable and void,” speaking of “tendencies that threaten peace and
stability in the region.” The lawmakers also argued that, if adopted, the
preamble of the new union of Serbia and Montenegro would prejudice Kosova's
final status.

Many MPs consider the act of the Constitutional Commission, currently
drafting the Constitutional Charter for the future Union of Serbia and
Montenegro, a provocation and one that prejudges the future status of
Kosova. Kosova Assembly has reconfirmed its position that the final and
judicial status of Kosova will be determined at a later time by the
democratic institutions and people of Kosova, in cooperation with the
international authorities. Sabri Hamiti, Head of the Democratic League of
Kosova (LDK) parliamentary group, said that he considers the preamble a
kind of constitutional aggression, which he thinks should not be taken
lightly, since the international community has been implicated through
European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Policy Javier Solana.
On behalf of the Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK), Fatmir Limaj demanded
that the parliament discuss and react to somebody else's attempt to decide
the fate of Kosova. Bujar Dugolli, from the Alliance for the Future of
Kosova (AAK), welcomed the reactions of UNMIK chief Michael Steiner
yesterday, who said that the charter does not have any legal relevance for
Kosova. Dugolli added, however, that Kosova head administrator Michael
Steiner’s response should be concretized.

The resolution of Kosova Assembly reads:

I. Kosova Assembly declares unacceptable the statements regarding Kosova in
the Constitutional of the so-called Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

II. Kosova Assembly reconfirms the stand that the final and juridical
status of Kosova will be decided later on by the democratic institutions
and Kosova people, in cooperation with the international factors.

III. Kosova Assembly asks U.N. Security Council, European Union and the
other international factors to antagonize the efforts made by Serbia and
Montenegro to prejudge the future status of Kosova and its annexation,
which are tendencies that jeopardize the peace and stability not only in
the region.

IV. Kosova Assembly will pay special attention to the further developments
and the stand of the International Community regarding the provocation made
to Kosova and will make the appropriate decisions.

The status issue erupted again this week when it emerged that the preamble
of the new constitution, drafted to establish a loose union of Serbia and
Montenegro to replace the Yugoslav federation, defined Kosova as an
autonomous part of Serbia. Kosova Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi said on
Tuesday Kosova would declare independence if the international community
accepted the text drawn up by officials from Serbia and Montenegro.

### 2 ###

Steiner reacts after Assembly resolution: Neither Belgrade nor Prishtina
can prejudge the Kosova status

PRISHTINA, November 7 - Michael Steiner, the UN head administrator in
Kosova, reacted after the Assembly resolution against Serbia-Montenegro
Constitution that describe Kosova as part of Serbia, by saying that “any
unilateral statement in whatever form which is not endorsed by the U.N.
Security Council has no legal effect on the future status of Kosova”.

“Kosova is under the authority of the UN Security Council 1244 of 1999.
Neither Belgrade nor Prishtina can prejudge the future status,” Steiner
said in a statement. Steiner’s declaration came the same day that the
parliament approved a resolution through which it rejects the preamble of
the Constitutional Charter of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro, which
attempts to include Kosova in the new union. According to him, Kosova’s
future status is open and will be decided by the UN Security Council.

### 3 ###

Steiner: Brussels guaranteed me that Serbia-Montenegro Union will not
decide Kosova’s status

PRISHTINA, November 6 - Upon his return to Kosova today from November 5
donors’ meeting in Brussels, Special Representative of Secretary General
(SRSG) Michael Steiner implied that EU and NATO officials guaranteed him
that the Serbia and Montenegro Union would not decide for the future status
of Kosova. He commented on the issue of the draft preamble for a Serbia and
Montenegro Charter, upon arriving to Prishtina Airport.

“Regarding the draft preamble between Belgrade and Montenegro, I understand
the concerns in Kosova, but we need to have the facts clear. It is a draft,
and an old draft at that. And it is a text under third parties which does
not in any way bind Kosova. It doesn’t legally matter what third parties
write in texts,” Steiner said. UNMIK chief said Kosova is and remains
governed by Resolution 1244 and the Security Council. According to him, the
status of Kosova is open and will be decided solely by the Security
Council. “No third party can prejudge the status of Kosova.”

“Yesterday I addressed the EU Policy and Security Committee and spoke with
Commissioner Chris Patten, Lord Robertson, NATO Secretary General, and High
Representative Javier Solana – they all agreed with me,” Steiner told media
today in Prishtina. “Yesterday evening I had a working dinner with High
Representative Solana about Kosova and the progress we have here. He agrees
fully with our strategy. We reed that the text of the preamble was not
politically constructive but that it has no legal relevance for Kosova,” he
said. “So there is nothing new and nothing has changed and Europe shares
this view.”

SRSG Steiner described the November 5 donors’ meeting in Brussels as “very
successful.” He said over thirty countries recognized the progress being
make in Kosova, and what’s most important, they declared their readiness to
stay engaged in Kosova. “Donors have committed to provide 500 million more
euros for 2003 through 2005. They are confident that 200 million of this
will be available for 2003. And the donors fully understood that Kosova
will need to have access to international financial institutions,” Steiner
said.

### 4 ###

PM Rexhepi says Kosova will declare independence if Serbian-Montenegrin
constitution accepted

BRUSSELS, November 6 - Kosova would declare independence if the
international community accepts a new draft constitution for the new Union
of Serbia and Montenegro which describes Kosova as part of Serbia, Prime
Minister Bajram Rexhepi said on Tuesday.

“If this (text) was accepted by the European Union and the international
community, we would have to react and make a declaration of independence,”
Rexhepi told a news conference after talks in Brussels where a donors
conference for Kosova was held. He was referring to the preamble of a
proposed constitution for Serbia and Montenegro as they prepare to
establish a new union on the ashes of the old Yugoslavia. “We do believe
the European Union will not accept this kind of preamble. If accepted ...
probably we will go to parliament to make a declaration about
independence,” PM Rexhepi said.

But the top U.N. official in Kosova, Michael Steiner, said the proposed
text would not affect Kosova’s status. “I agree that this inclusion in the
text of the preamble is not helpful, but what is decisive is that Kosova
continues to be governed by the Security Council,” Steiner said. “Whatever
is written does not affect the situation in Kosova, which in the end will
be decided by the U.N. Security Council,” he told the same news conference.

Rexhepi and Steiner were in Brussels to brief international donors on the
state of play in Kosova three years after the war. They painted a generally
bright picture of steady progress towards economic and political normality
in Kosova three years after the 1999 conflict. World Bank representative
Christiaan Poortman said he was confident Kosova would be able to raise the
estimated 500 million euros in aid it seeks for the period until 2005. So
far, international donors have committed 2.3 billion euros (dollars) since
the end of the war, of which at least 1.6 billion has been spent, mostly on
reconstruction. Poortman and other speakers at Tuesday's meeting stressed
the need for more reforms to boost economic growth and make Kosova less
dependent on international handouts.

“The international engagement has changed since September 11,” said
Steiner, referring to last year's attacks on the United States which
sparked a “war on terror” campaign and diverted attention from old
troublespots such as the Balkans. “We cannot count on the same readiness of
capitals to stay engaged (in Kosova) for generations. Donors expect speedy
results. We know we have no time to lose,” said Steiner.

### 5 ###

British Foreign Secretary Straw: We support Steiner for the standards
before the final status

PRISHTINA, 6 November - British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, who paid a
visit in Prishtina today, expressed his support to Kosova head
administrator Michael Steiner's efforts for the improvement of the
democratic and development standards in Kosova, before the issue of
Kosova's status is discussed. In a joint conference together with head
administrator Michael Steiner, Straw said that he was delivering British
Prime Minister's message to the international administration and to the
Kosovar leaders. Straw said that Tony Blair supported the democratic and
development processes that have taken place in Kosova. "Kosova has come a
long way in short time", he stressed. British Foreign Secretary praised the
municipal elections, calling them an important process for Kosova. Straw
expressed Great Britain's stand regarding the preamble of the constitution
of the Union between Serbia and Montenegro. He stressed that the UN
Security Council resolution 1244 is the base for building a democratic and
multinational society in Kosova.

During his stay in Prishtina, British Foreign Secretary said that the main
goal of his visit in the Balkans is the preparation of an international
conference on the war against crime in this region. This conference will
take place in London, on November 25. Strow said today in Graçanica that he
hold talks also with the head of Serb Coalition Return's parliamentarian
group, Rada Trajkovic and with bishop Artemije. Administrator Michael
Steiner thanked Secretary Straw for the support he gave to his efforts in
Kosova. Straw met also with Kosova President, Ibrahim Rugova and Assembly
President Nexhat Daci.


### 6 ###

Assembly: This is a serious provocation; Serbia is pushing towards war by
including Kosova in its Constitution

PRISHTINA, November 5 - Kosova’s Assembly Presidency urged European Union
(EU) officials to not recognize the new Constitutional Charter of the Union
of Serbia and Montenegro, which includes Kosova, because it destabilizes
Kosova and the region. They said the charter represents a very serious
provocation aiming to ruin all that has been achieved in Kosova over the
past three years, after the 1999 conflict. In this regard, Albanian MPs
said that Kosova’s Assembly will do what it can to promulgate a resolution
to object to the preamble of the Serbian-Montenegrin Constitutional Charter.

According to them, Assembly will approve a resolution regarding Serbia and
Montenegro’s constitutional aggression against Kosova, its territory and
its population. “The parliament will approve a declaration or a resolution,
the most valid document the parliament can approve, after a law. It is not
directly obligated but is obligated in all aspects - political and moral,
for all the citizens of Kosova,” said the member of Assembly Presidency
Bajram Kosumi, after the meeting. “Belgrade is playing the role of the
devil, in ruining what is being achieved in Kosova. We work one day, one
year, three years, and there comes a moment when Belgrade comes and tries
to collapse it. It is too bad that in doing this, Belgrade is being helped
by somebody else,” Kosumi said. He said, Serbia is pushing again towards
war. “European Union and Javier Solana should be clearly aware that Kosova
it on its way to independence, and it doesn’t have anything in common with
Serbia, Montenegro or Yugoslavia. It will only have neighbor
relationships,” Kosumi said.

Another Presidency member, Fatmir Sejdiu, said that Serbia and Montenegro
are reviewing the possibility for dividing Kosova and redefining its
status. “This cannot happen. Kosova’ Assembly will give a direct answer to
this direct attack,” Sejdiu said. On the other hand, MP Xhavit Haliti said
Parliament will do its best to object to the preamble, which includes
Kosova as a part of the Serbia-Montenegro Union. “None of the authoritative
bodies in Kosova should accept the agreement between Serbia and Montenegro.

European Union also should not recognize the constitution,” Haliti said.
According to him, the recognition of the Serbian-Montenegrin Constitution
means destabilization in the region, in Kosova, and will put Albanians,
Serbs, and their neighbors in a difficult situation.