Serbia will not give consent to independence of Kosovo-Metohija

Belgrade, Feb 9, 2008 – Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica stated today that Kosovo-Metohija is priceless to Serbia, which is why it will not give its consent, in the form of some agreement with the EU, to the southern province’s independence.

In a statement to the Tanjug news agency, Kostunica said that by deciding to send a mission to implement Kosovo’s unilateral independence, the EU has breached UN Security Council Resolution 1244 which explicitly guarantees the respect of Serbia’s territorial integrity.

The Prime Minister stressed that this also implies a gross violation of the UN Charter on the part of the EU, as well as illegal sending of a mission to change Serbia’s internationally recognised borders.

It is beyond doubt that it would be most suitable for the EU if Serbia gives its consent, in the form of some signed agreement, to this outrageous legal violence ever exerted over a country since the formation of the UN, which, on the contrary, guarantees inviolability of borders to all states, emphasised Kostunica and noted that Serbia will never put its signature to a document whose ultimate purpose is the independence of Kosovo.

According to him, being under strong US pressure, Europe is in Serbia’s case treading on the founding principles on which it is established.

Therefore, we cannot say that Serbia is against Europe, but that Europe, unfortunately, has succumbed to the policy of force and acts against its own principles, said the Prime Minister.

Kostunica also stated that representatives of Albanian separatists in the provisional self-government institutions in Kosovo-Metohija, which, by the way, Serbia has condemned to long prison terms on account of terrorism, now announce the declaration of Kosovo’s unilateral independence under the auspices of the EU and the US.

However, everyone must know that this fake state will never exist for Serbia and that Kosovo-Metohija will always remain Serbia’s province. There is no price for Kosovo and Serbia will not accept any compensation for it, said Kostunica and added that this is not the first time Serbia is having its territory taken away by force.

This is the age of force, but Serbia’s historic experience shows that the age of law and justice will inevitably come, concluded Kostunica.