----- Original Message -----
From: Snezana Lazovic
www.b92.net
Last update: Jun 29, 2001 01:04 CET
"Unconstitutional": Kostunica addresses the nation
1:04 BELGRADE, Thursday -Vojislav Kostunica appeared on national
television in Serbia shortly before midnight tonight. The full
text of his address was as follows:
I address you in a very difficult, almost fateful moment for our
country. Along with the many problems we face and which we
inherited from the previous regime and those connected with that
regime which kept us in isolation for a number of years, and our
time under bombs, we now face a problem which has been
unnecessarily and carelessly created here.
The extradition tonight to The Hague of the former Yugoslav
president, and the earlier extradition of Milomir Stakic, cannot
be regarded as legal or constitutional. The Federal
Constitutional Court brought a temporary order suspending the
decree on cooperation with the Hague Tribunal pending a final
ruling on the constitutionality of the document and, if there
were elementary respect for legal procedures, that measure should
have been respected. This can be interpreted as seriously
jeopardising the constitutional order of our country. The legal
state which was the policy not only of the Democratic Party of
Serbia but of the whole of DOS, cannot be built on injustice.
Now the most undemocratic elements of Milosevic's own policy,
which was really pestilential for the state and the people, have
been used here: lawlessness and careless, humiliating steps which
have not even been asked for directly by anybody from the
international community. Cooperation with The Hague, which was of
course necessary, has come down to the mere extradition of the
accused without any protection for the citizens and, in the end,
without any protection for the interests of the state itself.
Even basic procedures were not respected, as though somebody
here, rather than somebody abroad, was in a hurry to meet, as
soon as possible, an obligation undertaken who knows when and who
knows to whom.
Everything has been tried, everything has been proposed - under
federal legislation, under federal or republic legislation, under
republic legislation alone, then by decree of the federal
government - to regulate the difficult matter of our cooperation
with The Hague. I will not mention the fact that regardless of
the many demands I, and not only I have made, the opportunity for
those of our citizens who brought evil on us most of all, to be
prosecuted within the country.
All of this, however, pales before the most direct offence on the
law and all attempts to regulate cooperation legally, in order to
protect our citizens, has been rendered completely pointless.
Even worse, an attack has been made on the rule of justice, as
well as on the federation. The Socialist People's Party,
unfortunately, has contributed to that through its unwillingness
to cooperate.
We cannot go forward on this path into the future, Europe or the
world. Without a prosperous and dignified state which offers
legal and every other kind of security to its citizens we will
not go much further. Yugoslavia and Serbia deserve better.
Now we must face, without hesitation and with cool heads, the
consequences of these moves and prevent the worst moves to
seriously jeopardise the state and the citizens and the peace
which has already been badly shaken in our region.
I shall do everything within my power to prevent the worst and
preserve the unity of the state and the interests of the citizens
and to ensure that all the positive achievements so far in
cooperation with the international community are continued on a
healthy basis in international law.
Serbian News Network - SNN
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.antic.org/
