By Prensa Latina
Belgrade : The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia is debating a bill Wednesday defending Serbia’s territorial integrity and ratifying that the UN Security Council is the only authority to decide the statute of Kosovo Province.
The document rejects possible unilateral proclamation of independence by that province, and warns that the government would reconsider diplomatic relations and other ties with those countries that approve such a declaration.
Submitting the text to the legislative body, Serbian President Boris Tadic asserted that talks must continue for a solution that will satisfy all parties on the statute of that province, to which is giving extensive autonomy.
This responds to announcements by Albanian-Kosovo leaders declaring Kosovo’s sovereignty, backed by the United States and some member-countries of the European Union.
Serbia will not accept deployment of an EU mission in Kosovo to replace that already established by the United Nations in June 1999, when NATO bombing of this country stopped. The text noted the mission would implement a supervised independence that Belgrade rejected in the spring.
It reiterates that international agreements, among them conventions prior to joining the European Union, will be recognized if Serbia’s territorial integrity is respected and opposes suggestions that its entrance into the EU would be speeded up if it grants independence to Kosovo Province.
It also opposes eventual support by NATO to divide one portion of its territory in which case it will remain neutral and will refrain from joining the military bloc.