DSS: Resolution against government's decision on Kosovo

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - The resolution that Serbia on Wednesday forwarded to the United Nations General Assembly is in conflict with the Decision of the Serbian government on the continuation of activities in the defense of Kosovo-Metohija, which was adopted by the Serbian Parliament, Spokesman for the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Petar Petkovic said.

DSS also believes that the resolution does not at all challenge the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and that citizens are utterly deceived, because the continued defense of Kosovo should be based on status negotiations, while the government is actually seeking a dialogue on technical issues.

The resolution does not request, as specified in the parliament, the continuation of negotiations on the southern Serbian province's status, but is rather generously welcoming a dialogue on open issues, which is another name for the establishment of good neighborly relations, Petkovic said in a statement to the media.

DSS deputies voted against the government's draft decision in the parliament on Monday.

Serbia on Wednesday submitted to the UN General Assembly the resolution which clearly points out that unilateral secession is not an acceptable way for resolving territorial issues and calls for finding solutions through dialogue.

LDP: Resolution should have been approved by EU

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - The resolution which Serbia submitted to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly should have been approved by the EU because that would have ensured much greater chances for a positive outcome at the General Assembly, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Cedomir Jovanovic stated on Wednesday.

“Had the government opted for that path, it would have sent an unequivocal message of Serbia's clear commitment to European integration,” Jovanovic said in a written statement for the public.

He said that LDP finds it “absolutely unacceptable that the text (of the resolution) does not mention the life of Serbs in Kosovo, which points to the intention of delaying the resolution of this issue for as long as possible,” LDP leader noted. At the Monday session, LDP voted against the government's proposed decision on pursuing the defence of Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Wednesday, Serbia submitted to the UN General Assembly the draft resolution which clearly states that unilateral secession is not an acceptable way of resolving territorial issues and calls for finding a solution through dialogue.

Serbian Ministry for KiM expects EULEX to remain neutral

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - The Serbian Ministry for Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) expressed its expectation on Wednesday that, after the appointment of the new EULEX head Xavier Bout de Marnhac who will assume office in October, the Mission will continue operating within the status-neutral framework.

"We hope that the new EULEX leadership will succeed, in extremely complex circumstances, in using a balanced and moderate approach, like the one that characterized the mandate of Yves de Kermabon," the ministry's statement reads.

The ministry also expects that the new EULEX leadership will show readiness to continue the activities regarding the fight against organized and other types of crime.

The ministry will continue insisting that EULEX should neither support nor resort to any type of unilateral actions that would violate the Mission's mandate and legitimacy or cause instability in the province.

According to the statement, as long as the framework is respected, the ministry will be open to a partnership cooperation with the EU Mission as a legitimate international presence in the southern Serbian province.

Dejanovic: Resolution shows what Serbia wants

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - Serbian parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic said on Wednesday that the goal of the draft resolution that Serbia submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations regarding the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence is to persuade as many countries as possible to accept that text.

Condemning secession and invitation to dialogue show what Serbia wants now, she said.

In drafting the text, Serbia consulted all relevant domestic and international experts, she said.

The text condemns th unilateral secession of Kosovo and calls for finding a solution through dialogue, Dejanovic told Tanjug.

Serbia has made the last move at its disposal by addressing the UN General Assembly, which will also take into account the ICJ ruling, she said.

The Kosovo issue could open a Pandora's Box, Dejanovic said.

It can be a parameter of what can happen in any other country too, she added.

BiH Presidency members receive Tadic's letters

BANJA LUKA, July 28 (Tanjug) - Serbian Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) Grujica Spasovic delivered to BiH Presidency members in Sarajevo on Wednesday letters from Serbian President Boris Tadic regarding the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence.

According to the local media, Spasovic said that the said letters are Tadic's personal memos addressed to BiH Presidency members concerning the ICJ advisory opinion.

The Serbian ambassador said that he conferred with BiH Presidency Chairman Haris Silajdzic and a member of the Presidency Zeljko Komsic on Wednesday and delivered Tadic letters to them.

Spasovic did not confer with the Serb member of the Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic, as Radmanovic was visiting Banja Luka at the time, and Tadic's letter was therefore delivered to the head of Radmanovic's Cabinet.

EULEX summons Azem Sulja to prosecutor's office

PRISTINA, July 28 (Tanjug) - EULEX investigators searched on Wednesday the house of Azem Sulja, one of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (OVK) and uncle of Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Taci, and, finding nobody home, left a note of summons for Azem Sulja, requesting that he contacts the Special Prosecutor's office as soon as possible.

EULEX searched Sulja's house in the village of Kisna Reka near Glogovac (central Kosovo) on Wednesday, as part of an investigation within the framework of the Nazim Blaca case.

Sulja is requested to contact the prosecutor's office within seven days from the day of reception of the summons, EULEX released.

The Pristina media have reported that the search of Sulja's house lasted almost three hours and that EULEX investigators confiscated several documents found on the premises.

A number of EULEX investigators participated in the search, and six EULEX cars were parked in the yard. The search warrant was issued by a pre-trial judge at the Pristina Discrict Court.

According to the findings of Pristina media, Sulja is currently not in the territory of Kosovo.

EULEX initiated the Blaca case after Nazim Blaca, a former member of the OVK, went public with statement that after the war, he was a part of a secret intelligence execution team for eliminating political enemies of the Democratic Party of Kosovo.

In his public confession, Blaca said that the group of executors received instructions for elimination of political enemies in Taci's party from Azem Sulja, Taci's uncle.

UNESCO Committee postpones decision on heritage in Kosovo

BELGRADE/BRASILIA, July 28 (Tanjug) - The debate at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on Serbia's proposal of the decision on the condition of conservation of medieval cultural monuments in Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) was postponed for the next Committee session, Serbian Culture Minister Nebojsa Bradic stated for Tanjug on Wednesday.

At the 34th session held in Brasilia, the Committee, which handles the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage, was to consider the condition of conservation of the Serbian monuments in KiM which are included in UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.

"The Committee held a debate on the proposal of the decision on Tuesday. In the debate, Serbia was in favor of adopting a decision on the condition of conservation of medieval monuments in Kosovo, and was against the politicization of this UN organization," Bradic said.

However, at the proposal of France and Switzerland, the Committee voted on the postponement of the debate for the next Committee session which will be held in 2011, Bradic underscored.

A total of 11 countries voted for the postponement, three abstained from voting and six of them was voted for the debate. Serbia was supported by the Russian Federation, China, Brasil, Republic of South Africa, Mali and Mexico.

Droutsas to visit Serbia Friday

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas will visit Serbia on Friday, the Greek embassy told Tanjug.

Droutsas said Monday, after a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, that Greece can have contacts with both Serbia and Kosovo and will spare no efforts in finding a solution acceptable to both sides.

Greece is one of the five EU countries which have not recognized Kosovo's independence.

On July 22, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stated its advisory opinion, according to which the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence was not in contradiction with international law or the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Milososki, Meta against redrawing borders in Balkans

SKOPJE, July 28 (Tanjug) - Macedonian and Albanian Foreign Ministers Antonio Milososki and Ilir Meta advocated Wednesday in Skopje the fostering of closer ties between the region's countries and the European Union.

They also rejected any idea of opening border issues or new divisions in the Balkans.

Bilateral issues, ethnic ones or related to borders, should be overcome in the same way as EU founding countries managed to settle their disputes after WWII, Milososki said.

That is why all countries in the region need the help of the EU in order to become part of the successful European project, Milososki said when asked to comment ideas on possible partition of Kosovo.

The region's willingness to become part of the European family will have to win over the scepticism of certain European politicians who deem there should be a hiatus in the enlargement process, Milososki stated quoted by Macedonian agency MIA.

Meta praised Macedonia's wise political decision to recognise Kosovo, and said he was against raising the issue of new borders in the region.

Serbia submits draft resolution on Kosovo to UN GA

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - Serbia has submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft resolution stating that unilateral secession is not an acceptable way for resolving territorial issues.

Member of BiH Presidency meets Serbian Ambassador

BANJA LUKA, July 28 (Tanjug) - Croat member of the BiH Presidency Zeljko Komsic received on Wednesday Serbian Ambassador to BiH Grujica Spasovic.

According to a statement, the meeting was held on Spasovic's initiative, who on this occasion handed the letter of Serbian President Boris Tadic to Komsic.

The officials discussed the relations between the two countries, Komsic's cabinet released in a statement.

Komsic has recently stated that he supports the territorial integrity of Serbia without Kosovo, after which the Serbian president announced that he will request Komsic to explain his position.

U.S. ambassador's statement upsets Kosovo opposition

PRISTINA, July 28 (Tanjug) - The Kosovo government expects U.S. Ambassador Chritopher Dell to explain his statement about the so called special nature of northern Kosovo and Prime Minister Hasim Taci's willingness to find a creative solution for that region, Koha Ditore, a Kosovo daily, reported Wednesday.

Dell caused an upset on the Kosovo political scene with a recent statement from Washington, saying for the first time that the predominantly Serb populated northern part of Kosovo could receive a status similar to that of South Tyrol in Italy, and that Taci was willing to agree to that.

The statement made the opposition call for a resignation by the government, says the report, adding that the government has not given any answers to reporters.

The opposition avoided commenting on the essence of Dell's statement, focusing mostly on his claim that Taci was willing to grant northern Kosovo a special status.

Dell denied Tuesday that he had called for an autonomy for northern Kosovo, also stating that Taci had not done so either.

"My comment to the press on July 22 commended the Prime Minister for being forward-leaning and thinking creatively about the situation in northern Kosovo. I did not call for granting northern Kosovo autonomy, nor has the Prime Minister ever done so – publicly or privately," Dell noted in a personal statement.

Kiev does not recognize Kosovo's independence

KIEV, July 28 (Tanjug) - The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine stated that the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will not change Kiev's position on non-recognition of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Ukrainian edition of the Moscow-based daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Oleksandr Dikusarov stated in Kiev on Tuesday that Ukraine honors the principle of territorial integrity of all states within internationally recognized borders, the daily said.

Relying on basic international legal documents, primarily the Charter of the United Nations, the Final Helsinki Act (1975) and the Charter of Paris (1990), Ukraine is committed to the principle of absolute respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states with recognized international borders, Dikusarov said.

Dikusarov also stated that Ukraine respects all decisions rendered by the international courts and takes into consideration the ICJ advisory opinion on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Ukrainian electronic media reported.

EULEX continues to investigate Blaca case

PRISTINA, July 28 (Tanjug) - The EULEX police has searched the house of a former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander in connection to the ongoing Blaca investigation.

EULEX did not reveal the identity of the commander, adding that the action was carried out under the supervision of the Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office.

The EULEX special prosecutor was present at the place of the search so as to secure monitoring and thus enable effective gathering of evidence, and provide full and precise explanation to the present persons, EULEX released in a statement on Wednesday.

EULEX opened the Blaca case following Blaca's public statement that he was a secret intelligence service executor in charge of assassination of political opponents of the Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Taci.

Dodik: We are with Serbia even when it makes mistakes

BELGRADE, July 28 (Tanjug) - Republika Srpska (RS) Premier Milorad Dodik has stated that the RS will never abandon defending Serbia's position on Kosovo and that it will support Serbia even when it makes mistakes, but he believes that the appearance before the United Nations General Assembly will not have a better outcome than that before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“Unfortunately, the appearance before the U.N. General Assembly will not have a better outcome. I believe that it will be an even bigger defeat, and after that you can do nothing,” said Dodik, who believes that “no one will feel sorry for the Serbs,” because this is “a story about power and power creates law.”

In an interview published by Vecernje Novosti today, Dodik said that nothing can be the same after the opinion of the ICJ.

“Serbia received yet another important message from the world. With this decision, the Court had confirmed the continuity of the bad treatment of Serbia, regardless of who is at its helm. It is now clear to everyone: the stereotype of bad guys and a bad state will not be changed in the West. You may change whatever you want and change democratic governments, they will not accept you,” said Dodik.

“Serbia will have to come to its senses. Kosovo is less and less part of Serbia. I understand that it is very difficult to give up Kosovo and I believe that no politician can do it. But, this is becoming less of a relation between Kosovo and Serbia but more of a relation between the international community and Serbia,” said Dodik.

“Why not come forward with conditions - if you want us to recognize independence of one part of Kosovo we want the north of the province to remain in Serbia, to grant a special status to the Serbian people who remain outside the territory, to protect the monuments and monasteries…,” said Dodik.

Speaking about Bosnia-Herzegovina and the status of the Republika Srpska, Dodik said that “we want at present to clearly establish our rights so as to be able to act in any future situation the way the Albanians act now.”

Dodik is confident that Bosnia-Herzegovina has no future, but that the calling of a referendum on independence of the RS would be a pure adventure at the moment.

Bentler: KFOR's work framework still the same

GRACANICA, July 28 (Tanjug) - Kosovo Force Commander (COM KFOR), Lieutenant General Markus Bentler, said late on Tuesday that the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a very important event, but that the framework of KFOR's work did not change.

Our work framework has not changed, and there are always two points that we want to provide - security and security of the border area and the border, Gen. Bentler said at the handover of duties of the commander of the Multinational Battle Group Centre.

Whatever happens, KFOR will stay here for the sake of all communities and will remain outside politics, because we are focused on doing our maximum to the benefit of all communities,” Radio Gracanica reported Gen. Bentler as saying.

Outgoing Commander of Multinational Battle Group Centre, Brigadier General Seppo Toivonen, indicated the life issues of the people living in Kosovo and Metohij.

Former French general new chief of EULEX

PRISTINA, July 28 (Tanjug) - Xavier Bout de Marnhac, retired French general and former commander of the NATO KOSOVO Force (KFOR), was yesterday appointed Head of Mission of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, EULEX Kosovo, EULEX stated in Pristina.

The decision was taken by the European Union Political and Security Committee on a recommendation by the EU High Representative of the Union for the Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.

The new head of EULEX, who will succeed Yves de Kermabon, will take up his duties on 15 October 2010, and the appointment is for one year renewable, the statement read.

From 2008 to date, Marnhac was the Commander Army district South-East, Lyon, France, while from 2007 to 2008 he was the Commander of the NATO KOSOVO Force (KFOR), Pristina, Kosovo.

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