Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Kosovo Serbs displeased with Belgrade's policy on Kosovo, appeal for unity

Excerpt from report by Belgrade-based private BKTV on 12 December

[Presenter] The Serb National Council [SNV] representatives have appealed to all state and political structures in Serbia to be united during the forthcoming talks on Kosovo-Metohija status. They criticized Belgrade's hitherto negotiating position and our team's strategy.

[Reporter] The Serb National Council is opposing division of Kosovo-Metohija and believes that the state leadership should insist on full decentralization.

[SNV official Rada Trajkovic] What worries me at this point is Belgrade's completely unclear policy, and I have to say that very openly. I have to say that the meeting we had, and which was defined as the first meeting of our negotiating team, called by [Serbian Orthodox Church] Patriarch Pavle, was more like dialogue between the state and church regarding the preparation of platform for solving the future status of Kosovo-Metohija.

[Reporter] Raska-Prizren Bishop Artemije said that Serb leaders and people had proved to be bad history pupils regarding Kosovo-Metohija, adding that we have to show during the forthcoming negotiations that Serbia and the Serb nation form part of the fundamentals of Kosovo-Metohija.

[Bishop Artemije] We have wasted many opportunities over the past 15 years by gambling with our biggest values, which we have been losing in the process. The last chance is here and today. Let us be wise and united, that is the precondition of salvation, the only way not to waste this chance.

[Passage omitted: more on previously covered details]

Source: BKTV, Belgrade, in Serbian 1755 gmt 12 Dec 05

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