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Serb National Council Meeting, Gracanica, Dec 21, 2002
from left (Marko Jaksic, Dr. Rada Trajkovic, Dr. Milan Ivanovic, Bishop
Artemije)
SERB NATIONAL COUNCIL OF KOSOVO
AND METOHIJA
COMMUNIQUE
Gracanica, December 21, 2002
On its fourteenth meeting, held on December 21, 2002 in Gracanica Monastery,
Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija discussed the security
situation and its strategy for survival and return of displaced Serbs
to Kosovo and Metohija.
The
meeting was chaired by the President of the SNC, Bishop of Raska-Prizren
and Kosovo-Metohija Dr. Artemije (Radosavljevic). After the constructive
discussion the Council adopted the following:
C O N C L U S I O N S
1. The participants of the meeting strongly supported joint action and
common positions of the SNC KM and SNC of North Kosovo and agreed that
their actions will be thoroughly synchronized and integrated so that
common goals and aspirations of KM/Serbs could be fully realized in
future.
2.
Serb National Council KM admits with regret that the security situation
for KM/Serbs is still very grave. Instead of improvement and calming
of the situation, attacks on the Serb community continue. In the recent
period more than 20 attacks on members of the Serb community occurred
and several churches and cemeteries were destroyed or desecrated. The
Council condemns criminal behavior of K/Albanian extremists and requests
from the UN Security Council and NATO to make an urgent plan for security
of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija, including the return
of the part of Yugoslav army and police, which is granted by the UN
SC Resolution 1244 (Annex 2.6) and Kumanovo agreement (I.4). The SNC
appeals on the Governments of Yugoslavia and Serbia to support this
initiative.
3.
SNC KM condemns Steiner's plan for "individual return" of
displaced Serbs. The proposed return program does not support group
return of all Serbs to Kosovo and Metohija, but only individual, which
practically means that this process, according to this principle, will
continue in the next 100 years. SNC requests from the international
community to create in cooperation with the authorities of Serbia and
Yugoslavia a concrete and feasible plan for collective return of displaced
Serbs to Kosovo and Metohija.
4.
Since one of the conditions for the Serb participation in the local
elections was the promise of the international community to carry on
the process of decentralization of power on all levels, SNC requests
from Michael Steiner to begin active realization of the decentralization
program in the next six months. SNC requests decentralization of administration
in all sectors (of public life) in order to protect Serbs from minorization
and discrimination, which is a reality today.
5.
The Council supports the realization of the stabilization program in
northern part of Kosovo Mitrovica which has already been agreed with
Belgrade. Council thinks that Mr. Steiner is not implementing this plan
but is trying to impose ethnic Albanian rule in entire city through
the process of establishing of UNMIK administration.
The
Council expects from UNMIK consistent implementation of the plan for
decentralization of Kosovo Mitrovica, which means that the northern
part will have the Serb administration, which is of vital importance
for the joint city. The Council reminds that Northern part of Mitrovica
is not the most important problem in Kosovo and Metohija and that Mitrovica
should not have priority in resolving the problems in the Province.
International community should rather pay attention to those cities
in Kosovo and Metohija which have been ethnically cleansed from Serb
population.
6.
Serb National Council KM will not accept independence of Kosovo and
Metohija and is against any change of borders. Beside Belgrade authorities
it is also necessary to include representatives of KM/Serbs and the
Orthodox Church in the process of resolution of the final status of
Kosovo and Metohija.
7. Serb National Council KM supports decision of the POVRATAK Coalition
not to participate in the work of Kosovo Parliament because of discriminatory
policy against KM/Serbs. We request that the Parliament and other institutions
in Kosovo and Metohija should return within the framework of the UN
SC Resolution 1244. Serb representatives do not have a mandate from
their constituency to support institutions which work on independence
of the Province.
8.
Serb National Council KM requests from the international community to
demilitarize so called "Kosovo Liberation Army" which has
been transformed into Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC). Transformation
of this organization, which is still headed by individuals directly
responsible for crimes against Serbs both during the war and after the
war and arrival of the peacekeeping troops to KM, into Kosovo armed
forces could have far reaching consequences for the stability of entire
region, primarily taking into consideration its criminal role during
and after the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija. Serb National Council
appeals on KM/Serbs not to enter this organization under any condition
(Special proclamation is enclosed).
9. Serb National Council KM requests that the center of the Coordination
Center should be based in Kosovo and Metohija because only there it
can operate successfully. From Dedinje (Belgrade) one cannot resolve
such complex problems such as those in Kosovo and Metohija. This act
would reassure Serbs that they are not left alone by the Yugoslav and
Serbian authorities. We also believe that this would encourage Serbs
to remain in this region and would intensify process of returns of the
displaced persons.
President of the Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija
Bishop of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija
+ A R T E M I J E
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PROCLAMATION
OF THE SERB NATIONAL COUNCIL OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
WE
CALL ALL SERBS NOT TO ENTER INTO THE KOSOVO PROTECTION CORPS AND APPEAL
ON THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY ITS MEMBERS TO LEAVE IT IMMEDIATELY.
WITH
THEIR PARTICIPATION SERBS WOULD GIVE MULTIETHNIC CHARACTER TO KPC AND
THUS LEGALIZE THE CORPS WHICH IS NOTHING BUT FORMER SO CALLED KOSOVO
LIBERATION ARMY WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST
SERBS DURING AND AFTER THE WAR.
GOALS,
STRATEGY, SYMBOLS, MYTHS AND ICONOGRAPHY OF THE SO CALLED KOSOVO LIBERATION
ARMY AND KOSOVO PROTECTION CORPS ARE IN FUNCTION OF CREATION OF INDEPENDENT
AND ETHNICALLY CLEAN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA.
SERB
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
ERP
KIM Info-Service
Statement by SNC of Kosovo and Metohija
THE LATEST PLAN FOR TRANSFORMATION OF
KOSOVO PROTECTION CORPS LEADS TO FORMATION OF KOSOVO NATIONAL ARMY
Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija warns about the
danger of the latest NSC plan for transformation of the KPC
GRACANICA
December 23, 2002
After months of constulations a group of experts on Balkan issues prepared
for the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) a plan for reconstruction
of Kosovo Protection Corps and dismissal of its members suspected of
war crimes and other criminal activities. The plan proposes creation
of a new organization "Kosovo Safety and Security Council"
(KSSC).
Behind this plan which on its surface rightly seeks to filter KPC structures
which are deeply involved in ethnicaly motivated crimes against Serbs,
Roma and other minorities, there is in fact a dangerous idea for creation
of the nucleus of future Kosovo National Army. The personnel of this
oragnization after temporary reduction to 2300 would be increased to
6.300 by 2006 and would be given responsibility for border security
and other security issues in Kosovo, as it is mentioned in the report
of NSC. According to the information received by SNC KM this plan comes
from still influential circles close to former Clinton administration
which continue with efforts to pursue final disintegration of the Yugoslav
federation and grant independence to Kosovo which is not an official
position of the Administration at the moment. From rather incomplete
report published by the SENSE Agency two important conclusions can be
made:
1. International community has finally recongized that the Kosovo Protection
Corps which was created from the former KLA (UCK) and placed under direct
control and funding of NATO and UN is directly responsible for many
post-conflict crimes aganist Serbs, Roma and moderate Albanians and
that it is necessary that perpertrators of these crimes should be punished.
The report mentions involvement of KPC structures in extremist attacks
in South Serbia and Macedonia as well as its connections with organized
crime. At the same time when this happened the Corps received ample
international funding and NATO training. First "cleaning"
of the former KLA was achieved by its "transformation" into
the Kosovo Protection Corps in Sep 1999. Now when this organization
has been deeply compromized in a series of post-war crimes there is
a plan for a new "cleaning" which should give credibilty to
an organization which in its core has always remained on the positions
of ethnic Albanian nationalism and extremism. After many attempts to
hide this truth from public and futile attempts to attract some Kosovo
Serbs to its ranks in order to present it as multiethnic structure,
it is finally evident that this expensive internatinal undertaking has
completely failed. It is now quite evident who is responsible for crimes
and violence in Kosovo after the conflict in 1999 and this can no longer
be ignored.
2. The idea of transformation and building of new moral credibility
for the KPC by creating of "Kosovo Safety and Security Council"
is directly opposite to the basic requirement of UN SC Resolution 1244
because the issues of territorial security and border protection which
are presently under authority of KFOR and UN Mission are planned to
be gradually given into the hands of local Albanian led forces which
would be armed by military weapons (long guns). At the same time another
important requirement from the Resolution 1244 is ignored and that is
the return of a contingent of Yugoslav army and police to the borders
and around the most important patrimonial sites. It is quite obvious
that this plan is nothing but an attempt of creation of Kosovo National
Army which is one of the main prerogatives for independence of the Province.
Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija openly supports investigation
of responsibility for crimes committed by KPC members, primrily its
command structure which consists of the former KLA commanders led by
Agim Ceku. We also support decrease of personnel of this organization
which according to the SNC is not needed in Kosovo and Metohija and
is a source of unecessary expenses. In this sense, SNC KM called all
Kosovo Serbs not to enter in KPC and give multiethnic character to this
deeply moraly compromised organization.
SNC KM strongly opposes to the idea of formation of "Kosovo Safety
and Security Council" (KSSC) and granting this structure responsibility
any kind of territorial and border security even under UN/NATO supervision.
Such decision would openly prejudice the future status of the Province
and as such is unacceptable for KM/Serbs. SNC KM appeals to Belgrade
Government and Coordination Committee for KM to react urgently to this
plan and support the request expressed by SNC KM for deployment of a
contingent of Yugoslav army and police with multiethnic composition
on the FRY borders in the region of Kosovo Province.
SNC KM hopes that this part of the NSC plan for creation of new Kosovo
Army will not be accepted by the U.S. Administration and European structures.
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