Belgrade, 25. 01. 2010.

UN SC ON KOSOVO

• TADIC: 2010 COULD BE YEAR OF SOLUTION FOR KOSOVO
• TADIC: HISENI'S STATEMENT DISAPPOINTING
• ZANNIER APPEALS FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION

• TADIC CONDEMNS MESIC'S STATEMENTS AS WARMONGERING
• KOSOR: SERBIA AND CROATIA SHOULD STOP BICKERING

• TADIC CONGRATULATES IRINEJ ON ELECTION AS SPC PATRIARCH
• RUSSIAN PATRIARCH KIRILL CONGRATULATES NEW SERBIAN PATRIARCH
• CVETKOVIC: ECONOMY WILL RECOVER IN 2010
• SUTANOVAC: NATO ACCESSION STILL FAR AWAY
• LAVROV: NATO DOES NOT OFFER SECURITY TO ANYONE
• DEGERT: SERBIA MUST COMPLY WITH PROCEDURE IN EU INTEGRATION
• IMPOSED STRATEGIES FOR KOSOVO'S NORTH ARE UNWELCOME

• BOGDANOVIC: SERBS OPPOSE NORTH KOSOVO STRATEGY
• Feith : KOSOVO'S QUASI-STATEHOOD WILL NOT SPREAD INTO NORTH KOSOVO

NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic assessed on Friday that 2010 could be the year in which a solution would be found for Kosovo and Metohija that would be in keeping with international law and that would contribute to advancing regional priorities, such as membership in the Euopean Union.

Addressing the UN Security Council, President Tadic said: "Before turning to the issue that has brought us together, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the friendly Government and people of the Republic of Haiti-as well as to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Secretariat-in the wake of the tragic earthquake that claimed countless human lives and resulted in unimaginable destruction. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. As a contributor to the police component of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, the Republic of Serbia will continue to work with the survivors and the international community. We will help in the effort to rebuild the country, through the material assistance our Government has pledged to provide, and by greatly increasing our presence in Haiti. Once again we are gathered to discuss the situation in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija. Almost two years ago, its ethnic Albanian authorities attempted to secede from my country through a unilateral declaration of independence, or UDI. Our principled position regarding our province's future status is set in stone.

Serbia will never, under any circumstances, implicitly or explicitly, recognize UDI. This is a constitutional imperative, as well as our moral, historical and-above all-democratic duty. On this fundamental point, our nation is united as one. UDI has divided the world and the Balkans. It has brought into question the fundamental tenets of the contemporary international system, while setting back efforts to consolidate the region's democratic gains. A substantial majority of UN member States-and of Security Council members-have not supported the attempt to impose the forcible partition of a UN member State. They have continued to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of my country. On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, I would like to reiterate our deep gratitude to the friendly governments and peoples of these countries, for their dedication to uphold international law, as we seek to resolve Kosovo's future status through law and diplomacy. Their solidarity will never be forgotten. As the present report reminds us, the UN General Assembly tasked the ICJ-the International Court of Justice-to determine whether UDI conforms to international law. This has turned out to be a landmark case. It is the first time that the ICJ has been asked to consider the legality of a unilateral attempt by an ethnic minority to secede from a UN member State in peacetime-in defiance of its Constitution and against the will of the Security Council. It is also the first time all five Permanent Members of this Council participated in a proceeding before the Court.

During the reporting period, a crucial stage in the judicial process-oral hearings-came to an end. A record number of countries presented their views. This made it the largest case in the history of the Court, and it demonstrated that Kosovo's future status remains an open, unresolved question. The ICJ will deliver its conclusions this year, with overarching consequences for the international legal order. It is therefore particularly important for all to respect the fact that the Court has begun its deliberations. The judges' work should be allowed to run its course, unhindered by political pressures, such as further recognitions of Kosovo's UDI. Once the ICJ hands down its opinion, an opportunity will be created to find a way forward. We believe dialogue is the most effective means to achieve the only sustainable outcome: a mutually-acceptable, viable solution-one that will not recklessly sacrifice geo-strategic priorities of all, on the altar of communal aspirations of a single party.

Serbia seeks to resolve all outstanding political differences through negotiations. We are fundamentally committed to making 2010 the year of peaceful solutions-as the next logical development following the ICJ's decision. And we are carefully examining all possibilities. It will not be easy. The psychological barriers are high, and trust needs to be restored. A first step is to realize that the 1990s are gone for good. Contemporary Serbia is a democratic, forward-looking society that will join the European Union soon. We should all work together on achieving a common future at all deliberate speed.

As I made clear during my remarks over Christmas from Kosovo in the monastery of Visoki Decani: "my message is one of peace, and one of reconciliation-between individuals, as well as peoples. "I would like to welcome the new term members of the Security Council, as well as Special Representative Lamberto Zannier. The United Nations remains an indispensable actor in Kosovo. It is therefore critical that this Council continues to support UNMIK's fully reconfigured presence as a crucial pillar of peace and stability. The constructive approach adopted by the UN-and organizations that operate under its overall authority-have set the stage for responsible stakeholders to act together on improving the lives of all residents in the province. This has been done by putting aside status considerations on a growing number of practical issues. My country has continued to embrace such an approach in line with the provisions of the November 2008 report. This has been recognized by the Secretary-General, who has written that "UNMIK's engagement with Belgrade continued to create opportunities for good faith dialogue and for solutions to be developed on a range of issues."This has produced tangible results. For instance, the Protocol on Police Cooperation between the Serbian Ministry of the Interior and EULEX signed a few months ago has begun to be implemented. An Annex to the Protocol was signed in late November, a fact the report did not mention.

This has produced a welcome increase in the exchange of information on organized crime and terrorist activities in the province-an area that continues to be the hub of a sinister international network of arms, drugs, and human traffickers. On a number of other fronts, a shared dedication to status-neutrality by responsible stakeholders has ensured that the "overall security situation in Kosovo remains relatively calm but potentially fragile"-to quote the report. One example is UNMIK's external representation function. When it is honored by Pristina, their voice in regional for a continues to be heard, with our support and encouragement. This will remain the only legitimate way for the province to participate in multilateral meetings. Unfortunately, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian authorities "refuse to participate with UNMIK in the Central European Free Trade Agreement," and other regional organizations, as the report makes clear. Such a policy by Pristina can only lead to their self-isolation.

We deeply regret Pristina's unwillingness to abide by the provisions of the region's free trade accord, and-more generally-the binding procedures on external representation. We call on the province's authorities to reverse this counter-productive policy. In sum, on the issue of external representation, Kosovo can and should participate in multilateral and regional fora in the presence of UNMIK officials, who speak first-and with either the "UNMIK-Kosovo" nameplate, or a personalized one. No other arrangements will work, despite all pressures to the contrary. Working within the framework of status-neutrality has also ensured that issues related to the supply of electricity for Serbian communities do not spiral out of control. As the report highlights, the Pristina-based Kosovo Energy Corporation-or KEK-unilaterally cut off the supply of power to North Kosovo.

Thanks to the timely response by the EPS-the Electric Power Industry of Serbia-a humanitarian catastrophe affecting up to 100,000 residents was averted. We gratefully acknowledge the positive role played by UNMIK and the EU in preventing further unilateral action by the ethnic-Albanian authorities. Serbia looks forward to the successful completion of technical talks between KEK and EPS that ought to produce a satisfactory long-term solution-including a second provider. I come to the matter of KFOR. Its unique ability to bridge existing communal divides and maintain peace and stability on the ground-thanks to its status-neutral approach-remains acknowledged by all.

The Republic of Serbia will continue to engage with all responsible stakeholders to ensure KFOR's role is not diminished, especially in the context of safeguarding Serbian patrimony. Since the March 2004 pogrom in which 35 holy sites were destroyed over a tragic three-day period, KFOR's direct responsibility for providing security to the Serbian Orthodox Church has been a success. We believe that proposals to hand over responsibility for guarding a number of these sites to local police units, as reported, would not contribute to improving the fragile security situation. This is especially important given the opposition to such plans clearly expressed by the monastic communities most affected. We would like to salute UNMIK's "efforts to find durable solutions for the protection of Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo"-especially its engagement with the EU and the Reconstruction and Implementation Council, chaired by the Council of Europe. We concur with the assessment that considerable progress was achieved on this sensitive matter during the reporting period. At the same time, we share the Secretary-General's disappointment that an agreement has not yet been reached. In this context, we welcome his "read[iness] to support any constructive initiatives by the European Union [.], including the appointment of an envoy.

"We believe that an EU facilitator will be able to take appropriate measures to strictly enforce compliance by the authorities in Pristina on all matters related to the protection, conservation, and restoration of our holy sites in the province. Regretfully, the precarious state of Serbian patrimony remains a deeply troubling part of the reality on the ground in Kosovo. The report brings to our attention a number of on-going problems that have not yet been justly resolved. This includes the repeated refusal of local officials to restore the Decani monastery's cadastral record-a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger. It also includes an incomplete list of the desecration of graveyards-hate crimes meant to compound physical destruction with the attempt to erase our every trace throughout Kosovo. Unfortunately, the report passes over in silence the fact that ethnic Albanian authorities continue to defend the outrageous decision to pave-over with concrete the remains of the twice-destroyed Serbian church in the center of Djakovica. This is the fourth time Serbia has raised the issue in this room. Is it possible that the international community is powerless to get this awful deed reversed? Does the will exist to undo this and other acts of cultural cleansing? Once again, we ask for your help. Commitments made in this chamber must be honored in full. What is agreed in, and welcomed by, the Security Council must be implemented in its entirety-from resolution 1244 (1999), to the Secretary-General's Six Point Plan. Unfortunately, real steps still have not been taken on the political implementation of the provisions related to, for example, Judiciary and Customs-despite the clear readiness we have expressed, time and again, to work out ways of putting into practice was has been mandated by this body. I start with Judiciary. There have been some constructive preliminary discussions with UNMIK and EULEX. Yet, we have regretfully not been able to move forward on issues such as determining the territorial jurisdiction of the Court in Mitrovica, the appointments of judges and prosecutors designed to reflect the ethnic communities they would serve, and the applicability of UNMIK law. It is high time for talks to intensify. Consensual solutions must be found, in accordance with the provisions of the November 2008 report.

With respect to the delicate matter of Customs, technical cooperation between Belgrade and EULEX has proceeded smoothly. Information is exchanged regularly on topics of mutual concern, such as smuggling. Unfortunately, we have also not achieved progress on the much more fundamental issue of revenue collection, and how it will benefit relevant communities. We hope that, in the months ahead, we can come to workable arrangements with our UNMIK and EULEX partners, within the framework endorsed by this Council in November 2008.

The Secretary-General's report discusses at length local elections held in South Kosovo called by the province's ethnic Albanian authorities. Much is made of the participation by a minority of Kosovo Serbs-as are the unverifiable claims about the elections made by an NGO called the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations.

We are greatly disappointed that the report is entirely silent on the fact that the election was itself entirely illegitimate, since it was not held in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999). The facts speak for themselves: the SRSG did not call it, the OSCE did not monitor it, and the UN did not certify it. Under such circumstances, it was simply impossible for Serbia to have supported the election, because it was clear that conditions did not exist for a vast majority of Kosovo Serbs to participate in it.

I also underline that the report paints an incomplete picture of a highly flawed exercise. It greatly underplays the level of fraud in Serbian areas, and fails to account for credible evidence pointing to intense ballot-stuffing, voter intimidation, and other grave violations of campaign and election-day procedures, such as disinformation tactics. All this is highly regrettable. An opportunity was missed to de-politicize this vitally important issue. Instead of working with the international community, Pristina chose a unilateralist approach consistent with the so-called Ahtisaari Proposal-a document that the November 2008 report rightly asserted was "not endorsed by the Security Council. "It is now imperative that we focus our energies on finding a way forward. As has always been the case, we remain in favor of establishing functional decentralization acceptable to all stakeholders. Pristina's election was a false-start that won't lead anywhere. We need to work in concert, through a status neutral organization-the OSCE, for example-to create a legitimate decentralization package designed to succeed.

The report before us today is entirely silent on the critically important issue of facilitating the entry and transport of Serbian officials within the province. Beginning with the coming into force of resolution 1244 (1999) up to the present day, Serbia has followed a well-established procedure designed to address the security concerns of senior officials moving about the province. We have often asked for escorts, due to the heightened degree of risk associated with traveling in this unstable portion of our country. Regretfully, the issue has become increasingly politicized for more than a year.

The number of positive replies to our requests for escort has dramatically plummeted. It is difficult to imagine how we can positively contribute to developments on the ground, if our ability to work closely with the Kosovo Serb community throughout the province is hindered. Encouraged by claims made in previous reports that freedom of movement for Serbs was no longer a problem, Goran Bogdanovic, our Minister for Kosovo and Metohija, decided to travel to the Serbian enclave of Strpce without an escort. He was detained at gunpoint in a village near Strpce by over 40 ethnic Albanian special operations police officers. This was a clear violation of resolution 1244 (1999). Heavily-armed men told him they were under instructions to escort him back to the Administrative Boundary Line. Minister Bogdanovic asked why he was being forcibly deported, and no answer was given. Later, we were told that Minister Bogdanovic's very presence in South Kosovo was somehow considered a threat to public order-despite the fact that he resides legally in the province. This is an absurd and dangerous claim for anyone to make in the Europe of the 21st century.

The status-neutral international institutions enabled by this Council to control the province's police structures have an obligation to prevent such abuses to the system for blatantly partisan, illegitimate purposes from taking place. Political disagreements on status should not result in provocative denials of basic human rights to anyone. Such a climate of zealous intolerance cannot help but adversely affect what the report qualifies as an already "very low" number of IDPs that have gone back to the province. More than 200,000 Serb victims of ethnic cleansing continue to be denied the right of return. Regretfully, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian authorities seem to want to send a message that says: 'accepting UDI is a precondition to being beyond the arbitrary reach of the police.' Despite such deplorable conduct, the Republic of Serbia remains dedicated to finding a way to overcome these and many other issues in status-neutral ways, consistent with resolution 1244 (1999) and the values and principles it presupposes.

The Secretary-General's report draws particular attention to the situation in North Kosovo, which it characterizes as "fragile." Serbia concurs with this assessment. We feel that harsh rhetoric emanating out of Pristina regarding legitimate Serbian institutions in North Kosovo do not contribute to the maintenance of stability in that part of Serbia.

By referring to them as "parallel," EULEX representatives, for instance, have not respected the explicitly status neutral terms of their own mandate. And they have violated resolution 1244 (1999)-the very basis of their legitimacy and presence in Kosovo under the overall authority of the United Nations. Such regrettable outbursts are unacceptable for the Republic of Serbia. The truly parallel institutions that operate in Kosovo are those created on the basis of UDI. Their existence is a violation of resolution 1244 (1999). Should EULEX, or KFOR, or anyone else wish to condemn any authority in Kosovo, let them begin with those created unilaterally by the ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina, without the approval of this Council, and in clear breach of the principles of the international order.

In addition, I must draw attention to alarming news reports that have circulated about what has been termed a "final solution" for North Kosovo. Sponsored by the so-called International Civilian Office, this plan outlines a number of coordinated policies and actions designed to impose acceptance of UDI on the Serbian majority in North Kosovo. These unilateral schemes, intended to forcibly implement the so-called Ahtisaari Proposal, blatantly violate resolution 1244 (1999). This strategy can only be advanced by the enforcement of a draconian, un-democratic set of measures on the Serbian community in North Kosovo. Those who announced it-they and they alone-should bear responsibility for the de-stabilizing atmosphere such conflict-inciting designs can only be meant to produce.

The Republic of Serbia harshly condemns Pristina's unnecessary and hazardous provocations: this is not the way to constructively engage in overcoming challenges-especially given the enormous efforts, of Serbia and other responsible stakeholders, to maintain the fragile climate of stability throughout the province in the wake of UDI. I want to underline that it is clear all parties have their constraints. It is all part of the reality on the ground. But these must not harm those who matter the most, the residents of the province. Pristina's "final solution" for North Kosovo would do no good to those who live there. It could only satisfy the extremists who want everything that happens in Kosovo to be seen through the distorted lens of UDI. Should a choice be made to act on this proposal, we would justifiably expect KFOR and EULEX to protect the Serbian community in North Kosovo from this aggressive intent. We sincerely hope it will not come to that.

From the right of return to external representation, the Six Points to future status, our collective experience in the nearly two years since UDI, teaches us that denying the basic principles of European concord-such as compromise, concession, and consensus-building-serves the genuine interest of no responsible party. There is no legitimate alternative to finding a way forward together. UDI was just another failed attempt to impose a one-sided outcome. Instead of bringing us closer to one another, it has driven us further apart. That is why it is unsustainable, and why we must now find the courage to harness the forces of moderation, and rebuild bridges. We will have to overcome our prejudices and tame our passions. This will necessitate reconciliation, and learning to live with difference. Some will be tempted by the comfort and seductiveness of the old ways. Yet nothing is more certainly doomed to failure.

For that time has passed, and it must never be allowed to return to the Balkans. I believe 2010 can become the year of solutions. It can turn out to be the year we resolve the status issue in a way that contributes to advancing regional priorities-like membership in the European Union-within the framework set forth by international law. It can be the year of our success, our year of peacemaking. It is up to us-to this generation of leaders-to find the necessary strength to do the right thing, for the extremists who will want to reject the opportunity we shall have this year, in truth will be rejecting the future we all must share," Tadic said.

NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said Friday, during a debate at the UN Security Council, that Kosovo's Foreign Minister Skender Hiseni's statement, saying that negotiations on Kosovo's status would cause a new conflict, was disappointing and shocking. It is a very strange understanding of dialogue and negotiations, and in my opinion, it is a direct threat, Tadic remarked.

This cannot be allowed, and it proves the destabilizing effects of the policy run by the provisional authorities. We are all suffering the consequences of the wrongful policy our leaders from the 1990s led, and I am sorry for that, but all who use arguments like that are destabilizing the region once again, Tadic stated.

Hiseni said that Kosovo was against new status negotiations with Serbia, stressing that Kosovo's independence was irreversible. We refuse any request for new negotiations because such invitations come from people who are either not acqainted with the situation or are actively looking to create chaos in the region, Hiseni said, adding that new negotiations could create a new conflict in the region, and that Kosovo's independence was irreversible.

Commenting on the situation in the province, and especially the local elections from November 15, Tadic said that only 6,022 people voted in the first round of the elections out of 100,000 Serbs living in Kosovo, which was just 6 percent.

Speaking about the electricity supply issue, Tadic said that the Serbian national power company started supplying the electricity for regular people living in northern Kosovo because the Kosovo Energy Corporation had cut their supply. Tadic expressed hope that the issue could cease being a political one and be resolved in a practical way. Tadic took the opportunity to thank 127 UN countries for respecting the UN Charter and not recognizing Kosovo's independence.

NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Tanjug) - Head of UNMIK Lamberto Zannier said Friday that the situation in Kosovo was stable, although there were some tensions in the north, and he appealed to Belgrade and Pristina to put aside the issue of Kosovo's status in the interest of regional cooperation. UNMIK's goal is to provide security, stability and respect for human rights by supporting Kosovo's communities and facilitating dialogue and reconciliation, Zannier noted, presenting his quarterly report before the UN Security Council.

According to him, northern Kosovo is still a potential hot spot. The development of events regarding the electricity supply to some Serbian enclaves in Kosovo is also worrying, said Zannier, describing the problem as complex from the technical, legal and commercial point of view, and adding that the situation was threatening to escalate into a crisis after the decision by the Serbian national power company to take over the power supply in the that part of Kosovo. Stability and security are key for the return of internally displaced persons and refugees, Zannier pointed out, remarking that there has been little progress in that aspect.

The reason, according to Zannier, is the concern regarding economic perspective, but also apprehensions about human rights, especially the freedom of movement issue, which has been brought up again after Serbia's Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanovic was denied entry to Kosovo. Zannier feels that the implementation of the six-point plan is progressing slower than expected.

NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said Friday, during a debate at the UN Security Council, that Serbia was dedicated to reconciliation, cooperation and strenghtening of peace and stability within the region, while fiercely condemning the statements by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, calling them warmongering.

We strongly condemn the dangerous warmongering statement by Stjepan Mesic. There is no justification for threatening Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), or any other Western Balkan country, with force, Tadic said. Serbia rejects such provocations categorically and expects everyone else involved to do the same, Tadic added. According to him, Serbia remains firmly dedicated to cooperation with Croatia and all other UN members in resolving any open issues. Serbia will give its sincere support for all Western Balkan countries to be integrated into the EU, Tadic noted.

Mesic said earlier that he would mobilize the Croatian military and bring Republika Srpska (RS) to a standstill by cutting off the Brcko corridor if RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik were to break the Dayton Agreement and call a referendum on RS secession from BiH. Tadic said that Serbia will continue supporting BiH sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that he was strongly against that or any other neighboring or UN member country being divided. We have made it clear that we will back any solution agreed by all interested parties in BiH. The reconciliation process is an imperative not only in BiH, but in any other place, Tadic pointed out.

BELGRADE, Jan 23 (Tanjug) - Serbia and Croatia should stop bickering and build their relations as good neighbors, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said in Virovitica on Friday.

Commenting on Serbian President Boris Tadic's announcement that he would speak at the UN Security Council about Croatian President Stjepan Mesic's statement, who said that he would send the Croatian military to intervene in Bosnia-Herzegovina in case of Republika Srpska holding a referendum to secede from the country, Kosor remarked that "it is not good to continue bickering" because that would escalate the tensions. She stressed that the two countries have to continue in the spirit of good relations as neighbors regardless of their extremely difficult past.

"If we talk about the relations between Serbia and Croatia, then we must talk as neighbors. We have made it clear that we support the European path for all our neighbors, all countries of southeastern Europe," Kosor concluded.

NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic congratulated Friday Bishop Iriniej of Nis on his election as Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) patriarch. Tadic expressed his best wishes to the new patriarch in his future work for the welfare of the church and the people. Tadic also expressed hope that joint endeavors will be pursued for building a better and more just society for all Serbia's citizens.

MOSCOW, Jan 23 (Tanjug) - Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill congratulated on Friday the new Serbian Patriarch Irinej on his election, the Russian patriarch's press service has announced. According to the announcement, Kirill sent his warmest congratulations to Irinej, wishing him God's help in his duties. Kirill also wished that God might send peace and comfort to the new patriarch and the Serbian people, as well strength of body and God's help for Irinej in the coming years, according to the Russian Orthodox Church's website.

BELGRADE, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic told the businessmen gathered at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) on Friday that "a recovery and a mild growth of the economy are expected this year."

Cvetkovic, who attended the PKS awards ceremony recognizing companies and individuals who were particularly successful in 2009, said that the government stands by its position to maintain the economic stability of the country and not to bring down what has already been accomplished. "I would like to tell businessmen that better times and a simplified economic system are ahead of them", Cvetkovic said and added that he hopes there will be even more competition among companies in 2010.

Speaking about the awards, which are traditionally awarded by the national business journalists club every year, the prime minister said they are important because they recognize business achievements in a year of economic crisis. The ceremony was also attended by Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, who was awarded the golden plaque for economic results achieved in RS.

NIS, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac stated in Nis Friday that "all the talk about Serbia's NATO accession is irrelevant at the moment," adding that it will take some time before the country joins NATO.

In view of the request for the calling of a referendum on Serbia's NATO accession, Sutanovac said that he does not think that "Serbia could join any organization such as NATO any time soon." "It is normal that we hold the referendum when the time is ripe for making such a decision," Sutanovac stated for Tanjug. He pointed out that he shares the opinion of Serbian President Boris Tadic on this issue.

Sutanovac said that "we need to continue the process begun in 2006, the year in which, at the time of the government of Vojislav Kostunica who is one of the signatories of the (Partnership for Peace) request, we joined the Partnership for Peace programme that gives numerous opportunities and benefits for our army and state, and we want to use these opportunities in the shortest period possible."

He assessed that the signatories of the request for the referendum needed the media attention, since, as he put it, those who have nothing else to discuss, need to find something to talk about. This does not in any way whatsoever jeopardize Serbia's defense system and further reforms, Sutanovac said, adding that the request for the referendum was being prepared for such a long time that some of the document's signatories have passed away in the meantime.

MOSCOW, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - The attempts at mechanical NATO expansion do not offer security to anyone, even its members, and are not adequate for the contemporary world but only cause mistrust, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

Answering at a press conference a question on increasingly frequent invitations to Serbia to join NATO, Lavrov said the situation is not simple, given Serbia's experience with NATO in 1999. Serbia will have to take its own decision, he said. Russia has proposed a new security system for all world countries, in which they would not have to choose between the East and the West, he said.

Asked to comment Montenegro's decision to establish diplomatic relations with the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo without waiting for the International Court of Justice opinion, Lavrov said he did not wish to judge, but that that decision was contrary to the UN Resolution 1244. All countries rushing to recognize a self-proclaimed state are doing so in order to get some political benefits, Lavrov noted. He also expressed concern over the current situation in Kosovo. Serb rights are neglected in Kosovo and the EU mission which is in Kosovo with Serbia's approval is trying to ignore the UN mission which is the only one with UN Security Council mandate. This is a contradiction, Lavrov said.

BELGRADE, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - Head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert said Friday that Serbia must comply with the set procedure in EU integration.

The first step in this regard will be the ministerial meeting next week in Brussels, at which Serbia's candidacy for EU membership will be discussed, he said. He could not predict any dates when Serbia might get candidate status. The process has started and will take some time, as all procedures and legal regulations must be respected to complete the job, he said.

At the Brussels meeting, questions will be asked regarding Serbia's candidacy for EU membership, and high EU officials will attend that meeting, he said. The EU an Serbia will pursue Tuesday in Brussels their regular political dialogue envisaged by the Lisbon treaty, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting.

BELGRADE, Jan 25 (Tanjug) - Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac has stated that every imposed strategy for the north of Kosovo is unwelcome. "Every strategy that does not include cooperation of the non-Albanian population and forcefully imposes a solution for the municipalities where Serbs make up the majority of the population is unwelcome. \

The Serbian president has warned of that at the United Nations," Sutanovac said in an interview published by Blic today on the occasion of the plan of integration of the northern part of Kosovo in the Kosovo institutions, which has been announced by head of international office Peter Feith. "We are carefully following the developments in the north, and I believe that we will overcome the problem in a diplomatic way," said he.

Commenting on the arguments that joining NATO would be a step backwards in the fight for Kosovo regarding the cooperation with Russia, Sutanovac underscored that "we must not do anything that would harm our fight for the preservation of the country's integrity, but NATO, as an organization, has not recognized Kosovo."

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanovic said on Friday that the announcements of terminating Serbian institutions in the northern part of the province are unacceptable, and added that Serbia will fight to keep its institutions in Kosovo.

Bogdanovic said that a unified position on the unacceptability of integrating the Serb community into ethnic Albanian structures was reached at the meeting with the chief of the Kosovska Mitrovica county and the heads of northern Kosovo municipalities. The minister stressed that Serbia will continue to pursue its constructive policy, but that it will also fight in a peaceful manner, through talks, to keep its institutions in the region and to prevent a possible escalation of violence in northern Kosovo, because the announcements of the integration of the Serb community into Albanian structures may lead to violence.

"The Serbs in northern Kosovo cannot accept the so-called interim institutions, because they have done nothing positive for the Serb community. In order to integrate someone, you need to benefit the community and win them over in some way, and the so-called interim institutions not only have not furthered but have in fact stalled economic development through the introduction of customs duties, VAT and additional taxes, thus burdening all the funds coming from Serbia," Bogdanovic said. He pointed out that EULEX and European Commission representatives explicitly informed him that the EU is not behind the strategy for establishing control over northern Kosovo, but that it was devised by the interim institutions in Pristina and the International Civilian Office, headed by Peter Feith.

"Those countries in particular that did not recognize Kosovo as an independent country will not allow the problems in Kosovo and Metohija to be dealt with in this way, because Serbia, and a part of the international community as well, believe the strategy will only serve to deteriorate the situation in the region," Bogdanovic said.

BELGRADE, Jan 24 (Tanjug) - The plan to integrate northern Kosovo into Kosovo's institutions, which the ethnic Albanian authorities and Head of the International Civilian Office (ICO) in Pristina Peter Feith are trying to conduct has no chances of success because it does not have the approval of the Serbs and the Serbian government, State Secretary with the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija Oliver Ivanovic told Tanjug on Sunday.

"There is no doubt that Peter Feith and his office are the brains behind the plan," Ivanovic said. According to Ivanovic, such a plan is meant to divert the focus away from the real problems the ethnic Albanians and the ICO have in Kosovo, like the huge unemployment, social tensions and weak government. "Serbia will stand by its institutions, particularly the local government ones, and all other institutions that continued operating beyond 1999.

There will be no new institutions, and the existing ones will keep their support from the Serbian government. Those institutions can in no way be called parallel, because they are the only institutions trusted by the Serbs and ethnic non-Albanians, and represent places where they can ask for services and settle their daily needs," Ivanovic explained. On the other hand, the institutions being imposed by the ethnic Albanian authorities in Kosovo are parallel institutions, and their intention to spread their quasi-independence to areas populated by the Serbs has no chance of success, said Ivanovic.