Belgrade, 19. 03. 2008.

SITUATION AFTER SERIOUS FIGHT IN K. MITROVICA

• PROROKOVIC: THERE ARE NO SERBIAN POLICEMEN IN KOSOVO
• UNMIK SPOKESMAN: VIOLENCE WAS ORCHESTRATED
• UN ON POSSIBLILITY OF INVESTIGATION INTO RUBBER BULLET USE
• BARBED WIRE IN FRONT OF COURT BUILDING
• IVANKO: UNMIK LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION ON RIOTS

• SUTANOVAC: A CRISIS IN NORTHERN KOSOVO WOULD BE HARMFUL
• BAN KI-MOON CALLS ON ALL PARTIES TO REFRAIN FROM VIOLENCE
• TIRK AND CRVENKOVSKI FOR STABILITY IN KOSOVO
• KOUCHNER ACCUSES "A NUMBER OF GROUPS IN NORTH KOSOVO"
• FRENCH MINISTER SAYS CLASHES CAUSED BY SERB EXTREMISTS

• BULGARIA, HUNGARY, CROATIA RECOGNISE KOSOVO
• SERBIAN AMBASSADOR IN SOFIA HEARS BULGARIAN STAND ON KOSOVO
• SERBIA'S PROTEST NOTE TO CANADA FOR RECOGNISING KOSOVO
• SERBIA PROTEST TO JAPAN ON REGOGNITION OF KOSOVO
• UN SECGEN RECEIVES SERBIAN FM'S LETTER
• CHURKIN RECEIVES LETTER BY MINISTER JEREMIC
• UN SC CONSIDERING RUSSIA'S DRAFT STATEMENT ON KOSOVO
• LAVROV: INTERNATIONAL LAW VIOLATED IN KOSOVO
• KUZMANOVIC: RS WILL ACT AGAINST BIH'S RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO

• TADIC: SERBIA WILL NEVER RECOGNIZE INDEPENDENCE
• KOSTUNICA: ELECTIONS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE STATE
• JEREMIC ENDS VISIT TO LIBYA, IN ATHENS TOMORROW
• POPOVIC: RESPECT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW BASIS FOR EU SAA
• IF GOVERNMENT IS SET UP BY AUGUST, BUDET IN SEPTEMBER
• FOREIGN DIPLOMATS CONCERNED OVER SITUATION IN SANDZAK
• RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR AWARDED ORDER OF ST SAVA

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - State Secretary at the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo-Metohija Dusan Prorokovic said late on Tuesday that there were no Serbian Interior Ministry members in northern Kosovo and thus denied NATO and KFOR representatives' allegations that Serbian police officers had been at the building of the Municipal Court in Kosovska Mitrovica. Authorities in Belgrade have requested an international investigation to determine what really happened during the unrest in Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday, who overstepped their authority and who stands behind the entire action, Prorokovic told the B92 television. He denied the allegations of ranking KFOR and UNMIK representatives that authorities in Belgrade had anything to do with the unrest. The unrest occurred when UNMIK special police seized the court building where Serbs peacefully protested, demanding their jobs back. Revolted by this action, several hundred Serbs rallied around the court building in an intention to prevent the arrested Serbs from being taken away and KFOR and UNMIK intervened. More than 100 police officers, soldiers and civilians were injured in the unrest that followed the arrest of 53 former court staff. Prorokovic said that he would not "rely too much on international officials' statements" and recalled that the first statement from NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday had been that KFOR and NATO members were not using weapons. "The second statement was that they had received the approval to use it, but that they did not use it and the third statement this morning was that they had shot in the air," He said. "The consequences show that they did not shoot in the air, but that a 7.9-mm sniper was used to fire at unarmed protesters," Prorokovic said.

PRISTINA, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - Violence in Kosovska Mitrovica was orchestrated and UNMIK knows who is behind it, UNMIK deputy chief Larry Rossin told a press conference Tuesday in Pristina. Rossin and KFOR Commander Xavier Bout de Marnhac said they had information that Serbs in northern Mitrovica were preparing Monday to take over other UNMIK facilities. Everything was done first to find a peaceful solution for resuming the control of the court building in northern Mitrovica, Rossin said, noting that he had discussed this with Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic, but that no agreement was reached. De Marnhac said that a red line was crossed Monday and that peacekeepers were attacked with firearms, Molotov cocktails and bombs. Police Commissioner Larry Wilson said that investigation is underway on the killing of an UNMIK police officer from Ukraine and on Monday violence in general. A total of 42 UNMIK police officers were wounded in the violence, some of them seriously, he said. The police will return to northern Mitrovica as soon as the necessary conditions are secured, De Marnhac, Rossin and Wilson said.

UNITED NATIONS, March 19 (Tanjug) - If claims that members of the international police used rubber bullets during this week's clashes in Kosovska Mitrovica prove to be true, the UN might launch a serious investigation, since the use of such ammunition in UN missions was forbidden way back in July last year, a UN official has told Tanjug. We forbid the use of rubber bullets way back in July last year, after two persons got killed from such bullets in Kosovo that very same year, said the UN official, who wanted to remain anonymous. According to media reports, it seems that rubber bullets have been used once again, but investigation will depend on the reports from the terrain, he added. According to the media, in dispersing Serb protestors in Kosovska Mitrovica, UNMIK police, along with shock bombs and tear gas, used rubber bullets, which is contrary to the regulations of the world organisation's New York headquarters that forbade the use of these means on such occasions after two followers of the Kosovo radical movement Self-Determination had been killed by rubber bullets in March 2007. The number of protestors that were wounded by rubber bullets on Monday is not known, but the total number of those that got injured in the several-hour long clashes of soldiers and policemen with Serbs in the northern part of the split city has been estimated to over 150, half of whom are Serbs. UNMIK, as specified in the mission's report, withdrew on its own accord last spring the rubber ammunition from its arsenal for dispersing demonstrators, and in the meantime, no decision has been reached on its being reincluded in the equipment of the international police.

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - Members of the international forces on Wednesday are securing the building of the Municipal and District Court in Kosovska Mitrovica, which was the site of clashes between UNMIK police and KFOR troops with Serb justice employees, while two rows of barbed wire were placed in front of the building. The situation in the northern part of the town is calm this morning, but there is noticeable concern among the local Serbs over the recent clashes with international troops. All state institutions are working regularly, as well as faculties and schools, while shops are stocked with basic foodstuffs. The main town bridge across the Ibar River, which divides the town into the northern and southern parts, is still closed for traffic, while the smaller bridge leading to the railway station in the southern part of the town is open.

PRISTINA, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko that UNMIK had started an investigation regarding the clashes in Kosovska Mitrovica and that a part of UNMIK police will return to the town. We have started several criminal investigations relating in particular to the murder and attempted murder cases, said Ivanko, adding that the investigation had only just started, and that investigators will have to gather evidence. He underlined that UNMIK plans to bring to justice those who killed a U.N. police officer and attempted to kill several other U.N. policemen. Ivanko also said that the condition of 41 injured U.N. policemen is stable. The regular U.N. police will return today to northern Mitrovica, at least that is the plan, said Ivanko. The police commissioner made the decision based on the situation in the field, which has calmed significantly since Monday, said spokesman. KFOR soldiers have been in charge of security in northern Mitrovica since Mon.

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac on Tuesday expressed concern that the situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija is opening a crisis that could harm Serbia's position and its diplomatic activities against the independence of its southern province. Speaking about yesterday's unrest, Sutanovac told reporters, following celebrations marking Military Academy Day, that the government's efforts "are based on diplomatic activities in the UN SC and cooperation with countries which refuse to recognize an independent Kosovo." Sutanovac said he is very disappointed and surprised that someone has chosen March 17 as the date to evict Serbs from the courthouse in northern Mitrovica with "the excessive use of force." Sutanovac, however, underscored, that the reaction of the "other side" is worrying, recalling that today it was announced that a UNMIK police officer succumbed to injuries. "In question is a peacekeeper from the Ukriane, a country which has not recognized the independence of Kosovo, and a person who came under the UN flag to bring peace to the territory of Kosovo," Sutanovac stated, expressing regret about this death and conveying condolences to the Ukriane officer's family. "This is a very bad signal," Sutanovac set out. "It is very difficult to measure who contributed more to what happened," Sutanovac stated, concluding that now the most important thing is for the unrest to be prevented and that violence is not repeated, as this is "in the interest of both sides." Answering questions by the press, Sutanovac said that he did not speak to the representatives of the Serbian National Council in the province, because they are under the jurisdiction of the Kosovo and Metohija Ministry, and that Minister Slobodan Samardzic reiterated several times that "he controls them." "Unfortunately, I am not convinced that all structures are under control and I believe that certain minor groups favour incidents," he said.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - United Nations SecGen Ban Ki-moon was deeply saddened to learn of the death of UNMIK Police Officer of Ukraine, who died due to injuries received during the violent clashes in Kosovska Mitrovica on March 17, and called on all parties to refrain from violence and to engage in a constructive dialogue and work together to promote security and stability in Kosovo, a statement issued yesterday by the Spokes person for the UN SecGen read. "The SecGen was deeply saddened to learn of the death of UNMIK Police Officer Ihor Kynal (25) of Ukraine, who died due to injuries received during the violent clashes in Mitrovica, Kosovo," it was said in the statement. Ban called on all parties involved in the resolution of the Kosovo issue to refrain from violence and to engage in a constructive dialogue and work together to promote security and stability in Kosovo.

LJUBLJANA, March 18 (Tanjug) - Slovenian President Danilo Tirk said on Tuesday during talks with his Macedonian counterpart Branko Crvenkovski that it is necessary to secure the respect of international institutions in Kosovo so that the imlementation of UN SC Res 1244 is realized. The two presidents underscored that Slovenia and Macedonia are very interested in stability in the Western Balkans, primarily in Kosovo, underscoring that the current tensions should be resolved in a peaceful and reasonable manner, STA agency said.

PARIS, March 18 (Tanjug) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Tuesday condemned the violence in Kosovska Mitrovica, accusing "a number of groups in northern Kosovo and those who came from Serbia." "We should not allow a number of groups from northern Kosovo, which I know well, and those from Serbia, to cause incidents within the present internationally-recognized borders (of Kosovo)," Kouchner told reporters, apologizing for using the term 'international" as "a number of countries have yet to recognize Kosovo." He added that the violence will not be allowed to spread and that new incidents should be prevented all "all costs." Asked by Tanjug, why the UNMIK police and Kfor undertook the action in northern Kosovska Mitrovica despite the successful negotiations of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija Minister Samardzic with the international representatives, Kouchner said that there was time enough for talks during the past two years, but that they were unsuccessful.

PARIS, March 19 (Tanjug) - Welcoming eleven French soldiers injured during Monday's incidents in Kosovska Mitrovica who were transported to Paris on Tuesday evening, French Defense Minister Herve Morin said that Serb extremists caused the violence in that town in northern Kosovo and Metohija. Serb extremists caused this impermissible violence and they should be punished, Morin said, addressing media at Paris Orly Airport after the French peacekeepers arrived at around midnight. Twenty French soldiers were injured in the conflicts between the international forces and Serb protesters in Kosovska Mitrovica, according to sources of the military command in Paris.

SOFIA, ZAGREB, BUDAPEST, March 19 (Tanjug) - The governments of Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia issued on Wednesday a joint statement on the recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija, making them Serbia's first neighbours to decide on such a move. In a joint statement of the governments of Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia, made public at the same time in all three states, it is said that "the declaration of the independence of Kosovo came after unsuccessful efforts of the international community to find a negotiated settlement between Belgrade and Pristina over the status of Kosovo." Bearing this in mind, "a change of the unsustainable 'status quo' was inevitable," the statement said and pointed out that Kosovo is a unique case, ensuing from the unique circumstances of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

SOFIA, March 19 (Tanjug) - Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Lubomir Kuchukov on Wednesday received Serbian Ambassador in Sofia Danilo Vucetic and informed him about the common statement of Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia on the upcoming recognition of Kosovo, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry announced. Kuchukov told Vucetic that the Sofia government will meet in session tomorrow to consider the recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo. The Bulgarian diplomat conveyed to the Serbian ambassador Sofia's wish to continue the development of the excellent bilateral relations with Serbia, and pointed out that Bulgaria will continue to support the European future of Serbia.

BELGRADE, March 19 (Tanjug) - Serbia's Foreign Ministry sent on Wednesday a protest note to the government of Canada following the recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija and summoned Serbia's ambassador in Ottawa. In keeping with the Foreign Ministry action plan adopted in a Serbian government session, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic gave instructions for the urgent withdrawal of Serbia's ambassador in Canada Dusan Batakovic, the Foreign Ministry statement said. The ambassador is to leave the host country within 48 hours of the delivery of Serbia's protest note to the Foreign Ministry and to return to the country for consultations until further notice.

BELGRADE, Mar 18 (Tanjug)- Serbian Foreign Ministry addressed Tuesday a protest note to the Japanese government on its recognition of the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo-Metohija. In keeping with the Foreign Ministry Action Plan adopted by the Serbian government, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has ordered the immediate withdrawal of Serbia's Ambassador to Japan Ivan Mrkic, the ministry said in a release. The ambassador has 48 hours to leave Japan and return to Belgrade for consultations.

NEW YORK, March 18 (Tanjug) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has received the letter of Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who protested against the excessive use of force by international forces in Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday, Ban's spokesman Brendan Varma told Tanjug on Tuesday. Varma said he could not say what Ban's response would be, but did not rule out the possibility of an answer later in the day. Jeremic protested with the UN secretary general because, as he specified, of the absolutely unacceptable and excessive use of force by international forces in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, and demanded an investigation in scope of the UN as to how the incident had taken place. In his letter to Ban, Jeremic required that it be determined who had ordered the use of force in Mitrovca and how the whole thing had happened, pointing out that an explanation was required even the more so because the night before the incident, Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Slobodan Samardzic had had consultations and successful negotiations with the UNMIK deputy chief, Tanjug was told at the Serbian foreign minister's office.

NEW YORK, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin, who currently holds the post of the Security Council Chairman, has received a letter by Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic in which he urges the Council members to discuss the situation in Serbia's province of Kosovo and Metohija following an excessive use of force by U.N. peacekeepers and KFOR against Serbs in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica as early as possible. The press secretary of Russia's mission to the U.N. said Jeremic's letter had already circulated among members of the council, the Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported early on Wednesday. It has earlier been confirmed to Tanjug at the U.N. headquarters that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had received the letter by Minister Jeremic in which he protests against the absolutely unacceptable and excessive use of force by international troops in Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday, requesting an investigation on the causes of the incident to be launched within the U.N. In his letter to the U.N. Secretary-General, Jeremic stated that it should be determined who ordered the use of force and what triggered the incident, particularly because it occurred after consultations and successful negotiations between Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic and Deputy Chief of UNMIK Larry Rossin the night before, Tanjug learned at Jeremic's cabinet.

NEW YORK, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - The UN Security Council is considering a draft statement on Kosovo submitted by Russia last week, Tanjug has learned at the Russian UN mission. The statement concerns the situation following the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence in general rather than specific developments, but it might also include a reference to the latest developments in Kosovska Mitrovica, mission spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Tanjug. The draft is currently being considered by experts, she said.

MOSCOW, Mar 18 (Tanjug) - The unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo is an impermissible and crude violation of international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday after meeting high US officials in Moscow. "Our position is well-known. We have warned that such a step will have consequences, and, regrettably, so it happened," Lavrov said. Lavrov and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyuov conferred with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The United States and Russia remain divided on the issue of Kosovo, Lavrov said quoted by Itar-Tass. "We believe that the international presence that there exists in Kosovo under the mandate of the UN Security Council is obliged to cope with its tasks not selectively, but comprehensively. This implies the impermissibility of any unilateral steps, like the unilateral declaration of independence," he said. "The fact that over the many years after 1999 the rights of minorities in Kosovo, first and foremost, were not guaranteed absolutely, and no measures were taken to ensure their security and freedom of movement makes one imagine a very sad scenario," he noted. "In independent Kosovo those minorities will feel like aliens in their own country," he emphasized. "Of course, we are against any violence in addressing any problems. We are for exclusively political methods of settling any situations," Lavrov said.

BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - President of the RS Kuzmanovic has said that, as far as he knows, representatives of the international community are not imposing pressure on BIH to recognize the quasi-state of Kosovo and that he does not expect sanctions or threats to that end. "We should consider possibilities of lobbying, through diplomatic missions in BIH and others abroad, among some countries not to recognize Kosovo," Kuzmanovic said in an interview published by Vecernje Novosti on Wednesday. He recalled that the RS had clearly expressed itself, through the Resolution adopted by the RS parliament, on the separatist act of violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, and it then acted through its representatives in BIH institutions to prevent recognition of Kosovo.

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Tuesday that Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, and pointed out that he considers the unilateral proclamation of the independence of this province an illegitimate act. Receiving credentials from newly appointed ambassadors in Belgrade, Tadic said that Serbia considers the illegal recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo and Metohija by certain countries a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We are advocating a continuation of the negotiations under auspices of the UN, and with the objective of finding a compromise solution for the future status of Kosovo and Metohija. Serbia will continue the fight for its interests and respect of international law using all available political and diplomatic means, and without the use of force," Tadic said. President Tadic today received credentials from newly appointed ambassadors Huria Ferchichi of Tunisia, Hana Hubackova of the Czech Republic, Aleksandar Vasilevski of Macedonia, and Sofia Prats of Chile. Tadic spoke with the newly appointed ambassadors also about the need to promote economic cooperation between Serbia and their respective states. He expressed confidence that the ambassadors will realize and maintain good cooperation with the democratic institutions in Serbia.

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said on Tuesday that the early parliamentary elections set for May 11 are very important for the future of the state, and that this is why "it is important that the citizens support Serbia, so that a state-building government can be formed after these elections." He said objectives are the struggle for Kosovo and Metohija, that Serbia should remain integral and become a member of the EU as such, that the strong economic growth should continue, and an even more determined struggle against crime and corruption so that Serbia could be a law-abiding state.

TRIPOLI, March 18 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic on Tuesday ended a two-day visit to Libya, during which senior officials of this north African country expressed firm assurances that Libya will not recognize the unilateral declaration of the independence of Kosovo and that Tripoli urges the continuation of a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. In Tripoli, Jeremic met with Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi, Libyan parliament International Relations Secreatry Suleiman al-Shahoumi and State Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Abdelaati el Obeidi, all of whom told him that "Libya firmly supports" Serbia's stands with regards the declaration of the independence of Kosovo which "represents the violation of the international law." Libya is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and a country with crucial influence in Africa, the Arab and Muslim countries, as well as in the Non-Aligned Movement. El Obeidi told Jeremic that Libya and its leader Muammar al Gaddafi do not believe that an imposed solution for Kosovo, which was adopted outside the UN SC, can bring peace and stability to the region. From Tripoli, Jeremic left for Athens on a one-day visit dunrg which he will meet with his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis and with other senior state officials.

BELGRADE, March 18 (Tanjug) - Respect of international law, on whose foundations the entire civilized world has been functioning since 1945 and the forming of the UN, must present the common denominator for Serbia and the EU and the starting point for the essential dialogue between Belgrade and Brussels, Minister Aleksandar Popovic said in a statement for Tanjug on Wednesday. "Serbia is ready to talk with the EU about the essential problem that exists in our relations, and that is the question of Kosovo and Metohija and the necessity of respecting Serbia's territorial sovereignty and integrity, because the stand of a part of the EU on this issue essentially changed late last year," Popovic said. Europe formally advocated respect of UN SC Res 1244, and it even initialled the SAA with Serbia, in which the problem of the status of Kosovo and Metohija is defined in keeping with international law both in the Preamble and in Art 135 of that Agreement, Popovic explained. "However, the problems began in Dec last year. The EU sends the EUlex mission," he said, drawing attention to the fact that Article 53 of the UN Charter clearly states that the sending of regional missions is possible only with the approval of the SC, which is not the case with the EU mission in Kosovo-Metohija. Should the EU at this time offer the SAA to Serbia for signing in the form in which it was initialled, "Europe would have a problem, because it would have to respect the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Serbia and withdraw the EUlex mission," Popovic pointed out. Since the SAA would have to be ratified by all member-states of the EU, those countries whose parliaments or governments have recognized the unilaterally proclaimed independence would be facing a problem as well, he said.

BELGRADE, March 19 (Tanjug) - National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor Radovan Jelasic has said he would like the new government to be set up by the end of August, so that in September we could have a "new, restrictive budget." In an interview for the Wednesday issue of the Belgrade daily Politika, he said that he "is not in the least unhappy" because no one is helping him in the realisation of the monetary and anti-inflation policy, but that he was also aware of the fact that challenges would have been smaller if he had had a corresponding support of the Finance Ministry and the country's overall economic policy. The governor said that "in his job description, it is not specified anywhere that he, as governor of the NBS, the central bank, should take care of the economic well being, growth of standard, but rather that he should take care of the health of the national currency and the stability of prices."

NOVI PAZAR, March 18 (Tanjug) - Diplomatic delegations of the USA and German embassies and the OSCE Mission in Belgrade expressed concern in Novi Pazar on Tuesday over the developments within the Islamic community, in particular because of the conflict between two Muslim groups in Tutin on March 7 and 9. The developments in Tutin spoil the image of Sandzak, in particular in the atmosphere of the beginning of the election campaign that should be conducted in peace and tolerance, the diplomats said. The delegation, comprising United States Deputy Chief of Mission Jennifer Brush, Air Force Attache John Cappello, German Embassy Counselor Karsten Geier, and OSCE Representative Mariana Mehafi, met in Novi Pazar with political representatives of Sulejman Ugljanin's List for Sandzak and Rasim Ljajic's Sandzak Democratic Party, with Chief Mufti of the Islamic Community of Serbia Muamer Zukorlic, and representatives of the Riyasat of the Islamic Community of Serbia headed by Reis-ul-Ulema Adem Zilkic. Addressing a press conference, the diplomats said their visit to Novi Pazar was not aimed at initiating any negotiations between the pitted sides within the Islamic community, but at becoming acquainted with the concrete problems and at encouraging their peaceful resolving. Contradictory reports were obtained in talks with representatives of the Islamic communities on the events in Tutin, Brush said. She disassociated herself from the statement presented by the Islamic Community of Serbia - that the diplomats agreed with the condemnation of the brutal police action against the followers of Islam and the Islamic officials. Brush specified that the diplomats did not take part in writing that statement, but pointed out that their message is that they are always against any form of violence. Brush denied any connection between the present diplomats' visit to Novi Pazar and last week's call to international organization from Bosnia-Herzegovina Reis-ul-Ulema Mustafa Ceric that they should react to the alleged violations of human rights of Muslims in Serbia. Sandzak should be a bridge of cooperation between Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and other regions in the area, but it can use its potentials only in peace, stability and democracy, Brush said.

BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - The Serbian Order of St Sava 1st Class, the highest recognition of the Serbian Orthodox Church was handed to Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Alexeev at the Serbian Patriarchate on Tuesday. "This medal is not awarded often, but you deserved it with your efforts and work as Russia's representative, demonstrating exceptional wisdom and love for Serbia and the Serbian people," Metropolitan of Montenegro and Litoral Amfilohije said during the ceremony. "I am certain that this award is a confirmation of the special bond between our two peoples, our two countries and our two Churches at the most difficult times," said Ambassador Alexeev.