DOCUMENTS

 

In accordance with the Declaration on Kosovo and Metohija of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia of 27 August 2003, as well as the obligation of the Republic of Serbia, as a member state of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, to provide its full support to the consistent implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999, the Military-Technical Agreement on Kosovo and Metohija of 9 June 1999 and the Common Document on Co-operation between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the United Nations Interim Mission in Kosovo of 5 November 2001;

On the basis of Article 73, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and Article 130 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 32/02 - revised text, 57/03, 12/04 and 29/04);

The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, at the Fifth Session of its First Regular Sitting in 2004, held on 26 March 2004, passed this resolution:

R E S O L U T I O N
OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA ON KOSOVO AND METOHIA

I

The Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, their property and the Serb shrines in the Province, along with the whole of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro are once again subject to mass and organized violence by Albanian separatists and terrorists.

Proceeding from the necessity of enlisting the Serb people and all citizens and institutions of the state to defend the highest national and state interests, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, as the highest representative body of the citizens of Serbia, passes the following conclusions and demands:

  1. The pogrom against the Serb population of Kosovo and Metohija carried out between 17 and 19 March of this year is a consequence of the unreadiness of UNMIK and KFOR to fulfil the obligations arising from UN Security Council Resolution 1244. This is a direct result of the transfer of authority from the international administration to Kosovo temporary institutions.
  2. The Albanian population has, even after the arrival of the international civilian and military mission in June 1999, shown hostility towards the Serb population, evidenced by the countless murders and arsons, as well as the ceaseless threats aimed at forcing people to leave the Province. Therefore, it is evident that the events of 17-19 March come as no surprise, making the responsibility of the international peacekeeping and security forces even greater.
  3. We request, along with an increase in the number of the international security force and improvements in its organisation, that the international community should conduct a resolute investigation into the crimes and punish the perpetrators of the organised violence. We also request that homes, churches and monasteries should be reconstructed at once, in order for life to return to the affected areas, and for Albanian terrorists to be shown the futility of their plan.
  4. The latest Albanian mass and organised violence against Serbs, the case of this ethnic cleansing which endangered the entire region's stability, indisputably points towards the conclusion that it is necessary to rethink and change the entire policy of the UN in the Province.
  5. In doing this, the principles of international law must be respected, above all the principle of the inviolability of borders, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 1244,
  6. The Government of the Republic of Serbia shall prepare a proposal for a political solution of the present situation in Kosovo and Metohija. The proposal must rest on the following pillars:
        a. Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
        b. Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija must be given new institutional guarantees and their rights must be better protected.
        c. Serbia must ensure the survival, security and return of the Serbs of Kosovo and Metohija.
  7. Our state is bound, both by its laws and international conventions, to protect the Province's cultural and historical monuments, and its religious buildings. The burning of Serb churches and monasteries in the latest wave of violence has again demonstrated the striving of Albanian terrorists and separatists to change the historical and cultural map of Kosovo and Metohija. It is therefore necessary to devise, together with a political solution, efficient means of protection, of which some are declared in UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

II

This Resolution is conveyed to our citizens, relevant bodies and the entire international community, from which we expect consideration and a reply as demanded by the international war on terrorism.

RS Number 26 Belgrade,
26 March 2004

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

SPEAKER
Predrag Markovic