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July 20, 2003
ERP KIM Newsletter
19-07-03
SERBIAN ORTHODOX
CHURCH GAVE SUPPORT TO POLICY OF DR. NEBOJSA COVIC AND KCC
DR. NEBOJSA COVIC PRESENTED TO
THE PATRIARCH AND THE HOLY SYNOD OF BISHOPS HIS VIEWS ON THE BASIC
PRINCIPLES FOR ENSURING SOVREIGNITY OF REPUBLIC OF SERBIA IN KOSOVO AND
METOHIJA
The Information
Service of
the
Serbian Orthodox Church
July 19, 2003
PUBLIC
COMMUNIQUE
His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Kyr Pavle, His Grace Bishop
Artemije of Raska and Prizren and His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa
received Dr. Nebojsa Covic, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Serbian
Government and the head of the Joint Coordinating Center of
Serbia-Montenegro and Serbia for Kosovo and Metohija (KCC) in the Belgrade
Patriarchate today.
The Deputy Prime Minister informed the members
of the Holy Synod regarding the activities of the Coordinating Center on a
plan to protect the fundamental state interests of the Republic of Serbia
in Kosovo and Metohija to date.
Pointing out our present unfavorable situation with regard to the
position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, the disregard for the human
rights of minority communities and the treatment of the future status of
Kosovo and Metohija, the Deputy Prime Minister presented his views on the
basic principles that must be respected in order to ensure the sovereignty
of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija, as follows:
- No one in Serbia has the right to give up Kosovo and Metohija, an
inalienable part of Serbian state territory;
- We must insist on the consistent implementation of UN Security
Council Resolution 1244, guaranteeing the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the Serbian state in Kosovo and Metohija;
- We
must ensure respect for the principles of inviolability and
unchangeability of borders guaranteed by several internationally
recognized documents, and consequently respect for national and state
dignity;
- The new Serbian
Constitution is expected incorporate, in addition to the part on the
inalienability of its territory, a separate provision prohibiting
renunciation of Kosovo and Metohija.
- The forthcoming accession of
Serbia-Montenegro to Euro-Atlantic organizations is possible only within
the framework of recognized Serbia-Montenegro borders as confirmed by the
Badinter Arbitration Committee;
- We will seek the protection of
our property in Kosovo and Metohija through the permanent International
Court of Justice in The Hague;
- Sovereignty and democracy
are not opposing values and represent a sufficiently broad and flexible
framework within which the final solution of the status of Kosovo and
Metohija is possible taking into consideration the legitimate interests of
both sides;
- We will seek to
ensure wide autonomy for multiethnic and multiconfessional Kosovo and
Metohija within which respect for the rights of all minority communities
is guaranteed;
- We will seek to
ensure the protection and prevent the appropriate of land owned by the
Serbian Orthodox Church on the territory of Kosovo and
Metohija.
The members of the Holy
Synod of Bishops gave their support to the Deputy Prime Minister of the
Serbian Government, Dr. Nebojsa Covic, for his efforts and policies being
implemented with respect to Kosovo and Metohija.
Support was also
expressed for Dr. Covic's view that it is essential to achieve all-Serbian
unity. The Serbian Orthodox Church expressed its complete willingness to
assist toward that end.
An agreement was reached that the proposed
principles represent the basis for the drafting of a Declaration on the
Situation in Kosovo and Metohija to be ratified by the Parliaments of the
State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of
Serbia.
TOP
ERP KIM
Info-Service is the official Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox
Diocese of Raska and Prizren and works with the blessing of His Grace
Bishop Artemije.
Our Information Service is distributing news on Kosovo related issues. The
main focus of the Info-Service is the life of the Serbian Orthodox Church
and the Serbian community in the Province of Kosovo and Metohija. ERP KIM
Info Service works in cooperation with
www.serbian-translation.com as well as the
Kosovo
Daily News (KDN) News List
Disclaimer:
The views expressed by the authors of newspaper articles or other texts
which are not official communiqués or news reports by the Diocese are
their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Serbian
Orthodox Church
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