SETimes.comSerbian President Visits Kosovo
14/02/2005
During the first day of his Kosovo tour, Serbian President Boris Tadic called for reconciliation and an end to hatred and destruction, while also urging the international community to provide additional guarantees for the province's Serbs.
By Igor Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade – 14/02/05
Serbian President Boris Tadic began a two-day visit to Kosovo on Sunday (13 February), the first by a Serbian head of state since the 1999 conflict. While calling for reconciliation, he also demanded greater security for Kosovo's Serbs and reiterated Belgrade's opposition to independence for the province.
"There has been a lot of hatred and destruction in the history of the Balkans, including Kosovo and Metohija, and it must stop," Tadic said. "I want to make a full contribution to a peaceful solution but I wish to say that I will not give up the fight for the legitimate interests of the Serb people."
In the town of Strpce, Tadic called on UNMIK to provide additional guarantees for the safety of Serbs and people of other ethnic backgrounds living in Kosovo, pledging that he would do everything possible to make sure they have "the right to live and survive". He delivered similar messages to the residents of Serb-populated settlements in Silovo, Velika Hoca and Pristina. On Monday, he visits two monasteries and Serb enclaves in central Kosovo.
More than 200,000 Serbs have left Kosovo since the end of the conflict there. There are now approximately 90,000 Serbs living in the province.
Meeting with Tadic on Sunday, UNMIK chief Soren Jessen-Petersen expressed the hope that Tadic's visit would send a positive signal concerning Belgrade's readiness "to build bridges of trust". He also urged the Serbian president to use his visit to become fully acquainted with the situation, and to take the opportunity to meet with representatives of all communities in Kosovo.
Tadic's visit could help resolve the issue of Serb villages that have been without electrical power, Jessen-Petersen said.
Emphasising that Kosovo authorities and the international institutions in the province were continuing their efforts and remained committed to the implementation of standards, he also pointed to areas where progress is needed -- specifically, in ensuring freedom of movement and the return of displaced persons.
Jessen-Petersen again called for full participation by Kosovo Serbs in the political and democratic process in Kosovo. He and Tadic also discussed the reconstruction of Orthodox churches and monasteries that were destroyed during an outbreak of violence last March.
In other news, the head of the British consular office in Pristina said Monday that Belgrade must be included in any process aimed at establishing the final status of Kosovo. "The position of the British government is clear. Belgrade must be included in defining the final status," Mark Dickinson told the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti.
"The Albanians think that Kosovo should be independent within the existing borders, while Serbia thinks that it must remain in Serbia, within those borders. Our position is that Kosovo must be multiethnic, with a functioning economy and institutions and that the law must be respected," Dickinson said.