December 12, 2005

KiM Info Newsletter 12-11-05

Serbian Patriarch Receives Treatment at Military-Medical Academy in Belgrade

Information service
Serbian Patriarchate, Belgrade
Decembar 9, 2005

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle has been admitted to the Military-Medical Academy (VMA) in Belgrade yesterday for medical treatment. The concillium of physicians has issued a public statement as follows:

“On December 8, 2005 His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle was admitted to the Military-Medical Academy after sustaining an injury to his right hip during a fall two days ago in his offices. Upon admittance a clinical diagnosis determined a fracture in the right pubic bone which does not require surgery. The general condition of the Patriarch is good and his recovery is in progress.

“Concillium of physicians of the Military-Medical Academy”

His Holiness received a visit today by members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Holy Synod of Bishops prays fervently to the Lord for the rapid recovery and return to health of the Serbian Patriarch, Kyr Pavle.

Bishop asks Serbs to pray for their hospitalized Serbian Orthodox Church leader

Associated Press
Dec 11, 2005 8:15 AM

BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro-An influential Serbian bishop asked all Serbs on Sunday to pray for the health of the head of their Orthodox Church, in hospital since last week with a hip injury.

"Our Patriarch has prayed for all of us every single day, let us now pray our Lord grant him speedy recovery so that he may resume leadership of his flock," Bishop Lavrentije told the private Beta news agency.

Patriarch Pavle, 91, was hospitalized Friday at the Military Academy in Belgrade which treats prominent figures and dignitaries.

He was diagnosed with a cracked pelvic bone after stumbling and falling two days earlier at his office in the Serbian capital. The army hospital said the injury did not require surgery.

PRESS CONFERENCE REGARDING THE DELEGATION OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES VISITING BRUSSELS AND GERMANY

Information service
Serbian Patriarchate, Belgrade
Decembar 11, 2005

A press conference was held today in the Palace Hotel in Belgrade regarding the visit of a delegation of Christian churches from Serbia and Montenegro to Brussels and Germany during the period from December 11-16, 2005. Speakers at the conference included His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa, Monsignor Stanislav Hocevar, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade, and Dr. Bernard Lamers, the director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for Serbia and Montenegro, the organizer of the visit.

In his introductory remarks Dr. Lamers explained that the Konrad Adenauer Foundation is organizing this visit by a delegation of Christian churches from Serbia and Montenegro to the highest officials of the European Union and German political institutions within the framework of enhancing cooperation among the churches and promoting Christian values in contemporary European society. The delegation includes Serbian Orthodox Church bishops Irinej of Backa, Jovan of Sumadija, Justin of Timok and Teodosije of Lipljan; Archbishop Stanislav Hocevar, and Dr. Andrija Kopilovic, the prorector of the Cathechal-Theological Institute in Subotica, of the Roman Catholic Church; and Mr. Arpad Dolinski, bishop of the Lutheran-Evangelic Church. In Brussels the delegation will meet with Dr. Wilfried Martens, the president of the European People’s Party; Dr. Reinhard Priebe, Director for Western Balkans at the Directorate General on External Relations of the European Commission; Mr. Vassilis Maragos of the European Commission; Ambassador Michael Veninger; Jan Figel, the European commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism; Roksanda Nincic, the Serbia-Montenegro ambassador to the European Union; hierarchs of the Orthodox Churches in Belgium; Roman Catholic Bishop Josef Homeier, the chair of the Commission of the European Union Bishops’ Conference; and Rev. Rüdiger Noll, the director of the Conference of European Churches. From there they will go on to Germany, where they will first meet in Berlin with Dr. Michael Scheffer, the political director of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Bishop Wolfgang Huber, Chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church of Germany; Gerda Haselfeld, deputy speaker of the Bundestag; Dr. Hermann Kis, deputy in the Bundestag; former prime minister Bernhard Vogel, and Ognjen Pribicevic, Serbia-Montenegro ambassador to Germany. After Berlin, the delegation will travel to Hannover, where they will visit St. Sava Church and be hosted by His Grace Bishop Konstantin. In Hannover the delegation will also hold meetings with Roman Catholic Bishop Gerhard Feige, Bishop Rolf Kope of the Evangelic Church of Germany; and Jürgen Gansäuer, president of the State Parliament of Lower Saxony, and with Cardinal Karl Lehmann in Frankfurt.

Commenting on the importance of this visit, Bishop Irinej of Backa emphasized that the Christian churches in Serbia and Montenegro act together on many important issues, and among the visible proof of this is also this joint delegation which will represent them in Brussels and Germany. From the itinerary it is apparent that the nature of the visit is twofold: further nurturing of cooperation and mutual exchange of opinion with top officials in Germany and Brussels. With this visit we wish to demonstrate what is not commonly known to the general European public and that is the quality of relations among the churches in Serbia and Montenegro, in which respect our country does not lag behind the countries of the European Union. In this way we jointly demonstrate our readiness to manifest the high quality of relations among the Christian churches and religious communities in Serbia and Montenegro. Respecting each other we are drawing increasingly nearer the day when we will achieve full unity in the Holy Mysteries. The very concept of tolerance, as far as the quality of our mutual relations is concerned, is behind us. The concept of tolerance can also be defined as unintentional action, whereas our ideal is sincere love following the model of Jesus Christ. We need to work on building this evangelical path but not on a temporary basis but permanently. It is in this spirit that we need to continue dialogue among the churches. Bishop Irinej emphasized that the Serbian Orthodox Church has nurtured good relations with the Bishops’ Conference of Germany and with the Evangelical Church in Germany. He also mentioned the regular meetings and dialogue between the bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Bishops’ Conference of Germany. He emphasized the openness of Cardinal Jozef Homeier for dialogue and his Christian concern for Serbia. Additionally, the Diocese of Central Europe regularly organizes meetings with representatives of the Bishops’ Conference and Evangelical Church in Germany.

In conclusion Bishop Irinej emphasized that it is important that discussions regarding specific issues, such as accession to the European Union and resolution of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, are conducted without prejudicing political decisions. The church can help in resolving many issues, such as the preservation of human dignity of the individual, freedoms, the right to property and the possibility for realizing basic human rights. The bishop cited the words of Dr. Lamers that the church through its philanthropic practice can help in resolving an entire complex of social problems. Finally, Bishop Irinej thanked the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for its work in Serbia and Montenegro, which thanks largely to Dr. Lamers is Christian in its inspiration and sets this organization apart from others and makes it unique.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Stanislav Hocevar of Belgrade confirmed Bishop Irinej’s presentation and emphasized that the most important thing is that representatives of Christian churches from Serbia and Montenegro are going and presenting their experiences and knowledge to Europe together and not individually. We are bringing church specifics, which we can bequeath the West, and everything that the West offers us on the cultural, spiritual and church, plan, we can accept. The forthcoming meeting will contribute to our offering Europe something new, so that a united Europe can become even more secure and more creative.

French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy Visits Belgrade and Pristina

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, who visited Belgrade last Friday, stated upon meeting with Serbia & Montenegro (SCG) Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic that France was insisting "on the realistic nature of the negotiations, which places the fate of the people first," and added that "France's opinion is that the solution to Kosovo's status needs to honour the Serb community in Kosovo and its cultural and religious heritage." In talks with SCG President Svetozar Marovic, Douste-Blazy said that the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo should do everything possible to provide stability and the return of the displaced Serbs. He told Serbian Premier Vojislav Kostunica that it is necessary to fulfil the standards and create the conditions for the return of the expelled Serbs, and to Serbian President Boris Tadic that France is against the division of Kosovo, and is pledging for the return of the Serbs to the province. In Pristina on Saturday, Douste-Blazy insisted on the need to honour the minority rights in the province, above all the rights of the Serbs in Kosovo. Underlining that France believes "that there is room to move forward," he stressed that all the sides involved in the status talks need to be realistic for a solution to be reached. He added that the time had come for the start of constructive negotiations "that will leave each side with the impression that they have written a positive page in history."

Stankovic Pleased with International Community’s Assessment of Kosovo’s Situation

SCG Defense Minister Zoran Stankovic stated on Saturday upon returning from a several-day-long visit to the US that one of the key topics of his discussions there had been the preparations for ensuring security in Kosovo during the talks on the province's future status. He commented that the report on the situation in kosovo.netposed by representatives of the international community was balanced and that it provided an accurate account of the situation on the ground. Stankovic voiced hope that, in view of “all the measures that have been undertaken,.. the events of 17 March would not happen again,” Beta news agency reported.

Raskovic-Ivic: Is Rugova Rejecting the Contact Group’s Principle on Decentralization ?

Commenting on Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova’s statement that decentralization should not be part of the negotiations on the status of the province, the head of the Coordination Center for Kosovo (CCK) and member of Belgrade’s negotiating team Sanda Raskovic-Ivic estimated that, if true, this would mean that the Albanian side rejects the Contact Group’s guiding principles for the status talks. Recalling that the Contact Group had expressly required that the solution for Kosovo should include the process of decentralization, she emphasized that the negation of that principle also meant the rejection of UN Special Envoy Kai Eide’s report and of the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan regarding the commencement of the negotiations on the status of Kosovo. Raskovic-Ivic wondered whether this was the reason why the Albanian negotiating team stopped the dialogue between Serbian Minister of State Administration and Local Self-government Zoran Loncar and the Kosovo Minister of Local Government Lutfi Haziri, RTS reported.

Tadic against division of Kosovo (Politika/Tanjug)

Serbian President Boris Tadic has advocated in an interview granted to the Belgium daily Le Libre Belgique a united Kosovo within Serbia’s territorial integrity and stood against the assessments that his plan envisages division of the southern Serbian province. “The final status must satisfy the interests of not only Kosovo Albanians, but also of all states in the region, especially of Serbia that is constitutionally and historically linked to Kosovo,” said Tadic.

Stankovic: 17 March will not repeat (Politika/Beta)

Upon returning from a visit to the US, the SCG Foreign Minister Zoran Stankovic has stated that one of the most important topics of his talks had been the preparation to ensure safety in Kosovo during the talks on the status of the province, announced the Defense Ministry. Stankovic has stated that the report on the state-of-affairs in Kosovo, submitted by international community representatives, is balanced and correctly depicts the real situation on the ground. “At the same time, bearing in mind the information exchanged with the highest officials and people who command the international forces and all the measures that have been undertaken, Stankovic voiced hoped that the events of 17 March would not happen again.”

Cosic for Serb and Albanian part (Politika/Tanjug)

Albanians have the right to their national state, but it cannot be created with the brutal annexation of part of the Serbian territory and cultural heritage of the Serb people, Dobrica Cosic told the Ljubljana paper Dnevnik. He advocated division of Kosovo on the Albanian and Serb part, but without the creation of ethnically clean entities. “Territorial division between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, based on compromise of historic and ethnic rights, would be the most rational end of century-long international conflicts in the region,” said Cosic.

Rupel: Serbia must not be lost (Glas/Beta)

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has assessed that Serbia cannot remain “the side that is losing” in the negotiations on the status of Kosovo, Beta reports. “So far, we have been saving Kosovo in a certain way, looked for solutions and formulas… It seems we will soon have to look for a formula for Serbia, because it cannot stay on the side that is losing,” Rupel told the Maribor paper Vecer. According to him, it is necessary to find a solution for Kosovo that will not punish Serbia, but award it.

Discrimination of minorities (Blic/Beta)

Deputy Kosovo ombudsman Ljubinko Todorovic has assessed that the rights of minority communities in Kosovo are violated the most when it comes to freedom of movement and approach of institutions of the system, but discrimination of these communities is also a problem. “The problem of destroyed and plundered property in 1999 has not been adequately resolved. The perpetrators have not been punished,” Todorovic told Beta.

Tadic against division of Kosovo (Politika/Tanjug)

Serbian President Boris Tadic has advocated in an interview granted to the Belgium daily Le Libre Belgique a united Kosovo within Serbia’s territorial integrity and stood against the assessments that his plan envisages division of the southern Serbian province. “The final status must satisfy the interests of not only Kosovo Albanians, but also of all states in the region, especially of Serbia that is constitutionally and historically linked to Kosovo,” said Tadic.

Stankovic: 17 March will not repeat (Politika/Beta)

Upon returning from a visit to the US, the SCG Foreign Minister Zoran Stankovic has stated that one of the most important topics of his talks had been the preparation to ensure safety in Kosovo during the talks on the status of the province, announced the Defense Ministry. Stankovic has stated that the report on the state-of-affairs in Kosovo, submitted by international community representatives, is balanced and correctly depicts the real situation on the ground. “At the same time, bearing in mind the information exchanged with the highest officials and people who command the international forces and all the measures that have been undertaken, Stankovic voiced hoped that the events of 17 March would not happen again.”

Cosic for Serb and Albanian part (Politika/Tanjug)

Albanians have the right to their national state, but it cannot be created with the brutal annexation of part of the Serbian territory and cultural heritage of the Serb people, Dobrica Cosic told the Ljubljana paper Dnevnik. He advocated division of Kosovo on the Albanian and Serb part, but without the creation of ethnically clean entities. “Territorial division between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, based on compromise of historic and ethnic rights, would be the most rational end of century-long international conflicts in the region,” said Cosic.

Rupel: Serbia must not be lost (Glas/Beta)

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel has assessed that Serbia cannot remain “the side that is losing” in the negotiations on the status of Kosovo, Beta reports. “So far, we have been saving Kosovo in a certain way, looked for solutions and formulas… It seems we will soon have to look for a formula for Serbia, because it cannot stay on the side that is losing,” Rupel told the Maribor paper Vecer. According to him, it is necessary to find a solution for Kosovo that will not punish Serbia, but award it.

Discrimination of minorities (Blic/Beta)

Deputy Kosovo ombudsman Ljubinko Todorovic has assessed that the rights of minority communities in Kosovo are violated the most when it comes to freedom of movement and approach of institutions of the system, but discrimination of these communities is also a problem. “The problem of destroyed and plundered property in 1999 has not been adequately resolved. The perpetrators have not been punished,” Todorovic told Beta.

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