Борба, 18. 02. 2005., стр. 9

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February 18th, 2005.

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No6”' Belgrade ' PUBLISHED BY BORBA DAILY - NEWSPAPER WITH TRADITION # www.borba.co.yu

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Kosovo Is Part of Serbia

President Tadic's visit to southern province under UN control

SILOVO - SERBIAN PRESIDENT BORIS TADIC, ACCOMPANIED BY PEOPLE'S OFFICE HEAD DRAGAN DJILAS, MADE A TWO-DAY TOUR OF THE SERB ENCLAVES IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA, STARTING BY VISITING THE VILLAGE OF SILOVO, CLOSE TO GNJILANE.

„My message is that Silovo, just like the entire Kosovo and Metobija, is a part of Serbia and an integral part of Serbia and Montenegro (SCG), and I hold this view in Belgrade, Pristina and Silovo - wherever I am,“ Tadic set out.

Tadic pointed out that he did not come bearing „a magic wand,“ because, un-

Test for UNMIK

Belgrade • Coordinator of the Forum for Ethnic Relations Dusan Janjic assessed on Monday that the visit by Serbian President Boris Ta-

--die to Kosovo and Meto--

Mia was a serious test for UNMIK, Kfor and the provincial government, and that it was of exceptional importance not only from the political aspect but also as psychological support to Kosovo Serbs.

„It is a serious test for UNMIK, Kfor and the Kosovo government, first of all, to orgamise such a visit, but also to accept it as a fact,“ Janjic told Tanjug and added that Tadic'"s visit „is risky from the security point of view, but it has shown that in cooperation with UNMIK should be broken prejudices about impeded movement.“ Milita Belgrade - Serbia-Montencgro Defence Minister Prvoslav Davinic, Deputy Minister Vukasin Maras and Chief of the General Staff Gen Dragan Paskas last Friday opened to public the subterranean military facility in Topcider, which had caused controversics after thc cc-

One of the premises in Koras

fortunately, it exists only in fairy tales, but he promised to fight for each and every citizen living in Kosovo and Metohija. The Serbian president underscored that he came to Kosovo and

Metohija also to meet with the representatives of the international community to secure the full adhercnce of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

"This is the first visit by a Serbian president to Kosovo and Metohija since the United Nations assumed power in the province in 1999.

Tadic has said that he would pursuc a policy of continuous fight and activities for Kosovo and Metohija, respecting, international regulations, rights and circumstances and providing for protection of

the country's national and state interests, using its international allies. He stressed that that was the rceason he again invited UNMIK Chief Soren Jessen Petersen to come to Bel-

grade and „work together on solving the problems, because these people have" not only deserved it but are the evidence of our existence,“ said Tadic in Velika Hoca, Kosovo-Metohija. UNMIK chief Soren Jessen-Petersen said Sunday, following, talks with Tadic' in Pristina, that Tadic" Visit could help resolve the problem of eclectricity for some Serb villages. Petcrsen and Tadic also discussed the rebuilding of thc orthodox facilities demolished during the March 17, 2004 violence.

Following talks with Petersen, President Tadic visited the torched St Nicholas Orthodox Church in Pristina. Tadic said that, as president, he respects all legitimate national interests of

that one of thosc intcrests is the right to life, WOrk, freedom of movement, but also the right to the expression of religious senti-

ments, because these arc

also the international obli-

International Forces to stay

Orahovac - Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Monday in Orahovac, one of the few urban places in Kosovo and Metohija were Serbs still live, that „it would be a terrible mistake if the international forces were withdrawn from Kosovo and Metohija“. „There are two things I reiterate at all international talks - the inđependence of Kosovo and Metohija is absolutely unacceptable, and that it would be a terrible mistake, an actual crime, if the international forces were to leave here,“ Tadic said.

all nations and all ethnic communities, because thcse are values which characterize all pecoples who understand their EKuropcan future. He underscored

Facility Opened to

aths of two guardsmen last October. Speaking, at an improvised news conference at the facility's Operations Room, Davinic said that thc visit of Ministry, Army and media represcntatives to the special-purpose Karas facility had been organi-

sed ncarly „on thc spur of the moment.“

„We rečeived thc agreement of the Supreme Defence Council during the morning and in apreement with the chicf of the General Staff, we did not want to announce Our visit. Instead, we came to the door in

order to be able to say that no •preparatory actions had taken place and that the facility hac not been prepared, in case of hiding of some of the ICTY indictccs.“ "The minister said that in thc morning that day he, Maras and Paskas had invited reprcsentatives of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Office in Belgrade to „join the expcdition,“ but that they had concluded „that it might not be constructive to come here at this moment.“ „They will wait for a public report about it, and if there is need, they will request a special tour, and wc gave them this possibility,“ Davinic said. '

He explained that the facili had been opened because of the gencral political commitment of the state leadership of both the state union and Scrbia and Montenegro, respectively, „not to allow any war destruction or conflicts to take pla-

gations of cvery country that wants to be a part of the civilized world.

Tadic recalled that only a "_ Serb families remain in Pristina, and since Scr-

Public

ce in this territory“ and added that one of the Army priorities were openness and COOpcration with the medix.

„We are preparing and wc have an army that is ready to respond to all threats, challenges and security risks, but WC also have good diplomacy, military diplomacy and state Organs, who are taking, all necessary steps to prevent any possibility of military cengagemcnt with other actions and negotiated solutions.“

"The minister said that thc Supreme Defence Council had on February 10th unanimously decided that this facility should no longer be a military secret.

Journalists toured thc prcmises, on three levels of that underground facility. The spccial-purpose facility was built till 1971. It was used only once - during, NATO”s bombing in 1999, for the needs of the military and state leadership.

bia'5 southern province has been multi-ethnic and multi-cultural over the centuries, it is necessary to secure the return to the Kosovo-Metohija capital of those Serb families who have left it.

In Kosovska Mitrovica, late on Monday, Tadic said that economic activities should be stepped up if we wanted Kosovo-Metohija Serbs to survive. „The economic issuc is key to our survival,“ he said and added that Kosovo-Metohija must not be an independent state.

In Gracanica, where he was greeted by several thousand people and Serbian Orthodox Bishop Artemije, Tadic said that Serbia called for the observation of its legitimate state and national interests, because Serbia wanted nothing evil for anybody, but only peace for other peoples as well as its own.

He said that Serbia was a good Huropean country, which offered the hand of cooperation to everybody and rciterated that Serbia did not want to jeopardise anybody, but that Serbs were proud of its state and would not let anybody jeopardise it.

The Serbian president said that he would want to resolve concrete problems and deal with direct issues: „I would want us to bring a kitchen unit into a house, Or to bring back electricity to a home if possible, to bring a medicine into a hospital, to warm up 5Omebody who is cold, to solve the problems of security and freedom and possibility that people movc freely here, like all peoples in Europe,“ Tadic said.