Selaković: Priština's abuse of the UNSC

At the today`s session of the United Nations Security Council dedicated to the work of UNMIK, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selaković strongly refuted the claims made by the representative of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Priština, Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, stating that she abused the UN Security Council rostrum to slander, among other things, UNMIK itself.

"Instead of talking about the problems in the field, disrespecting human rights, abolishing political freedoms, more than 200,000 internally displaced people, desecrating churches, monasteries and cemeteries, about completely ignoring crimes committed by Kosovo Albanians that did not get any judicial epilogue, Mrs. Gërvalla-Schwarz told us a story about her political wishes and goals, "said the Minister.

As Minister Selaković pointed out, Priština ignored crimes against Serbs, while, on the other hand, continuously trying to abuse the term genocide for political-sensationalist purposes.

"Such rhetoric in general, as well as arbitrary assessments and claims without any evidence are frivolous, unfounded in reality, and serve for cheap political points. Such irresponsible claims jeopardize any possibility of progress in normalising the relations between Serbs and Albanians, i.e. Belgrade and Priština. Finally, if we talk about the ethnic composition of the population in Kosovo and Metohija then and now, we should clearly present the facts and say that over 90% of Albanians live in Kosovo and Metohija today, and that over the last decades Serbs have suffered, been victims of crimes and expelled from their centuries-old hearths, or forced to leave their homes due to intimidation, discrimination, and threats", Minister Selaković replied.

He also strongly condemned Priština’s insinuations regarding the alleged planned assassination of Dick Marty, warning that they could only harm the trial at the Hague Special Tribunal for KLA War Crimes, putting additional pressure on the key witnesses to war crimes.

"On this occasion, Serbia once again pays tribute to Dick Marty for the courage he showed, aware of the danger he faced, when in his report to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2010 he shared the horrifying knowledge he found out about the crimes committed by the KLA", Minister Selaković said.

Serbia is a pillar of peace and stability in the region, as stated by the leaders of almost all member countries of the Security Council, Minister Selaković said.

When it comes to the regional stability and cooperation, while President Vučić was building bridges of cooperation in the region, such as the Open Balkan initiative, solidarity-based exchange of deficit goods, joint infrastructure projects, Albin Kurti was destroying it all by undermining the dialogue process, Minister Selaković stated.

Referring to the claims that Kosovo and Metohija were a bastion of democracy, the Minister emphasised that Priština was warned in the report of the UN Secretary-General that it should respect its so-called constitution and court decisions related to the restitution of the property of Visoki Dečani.

"I must also react to the sentence that, I quote, Serbs are protected in Kosovo. If Serbs are protected, why is it that 200,000 internally displaced Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija cannot return to their homes, to their apartments? If they are protected, why do we have, for more than 15 years, over 43,000 unresolved court proceedings on property rights taken away by force from the Kosovo Serbs who, I quote, are protected. Can you imagine how those who are not protected live there", Minister Selaković concluded.