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Open letter of Bishop Artemije to the Joachim Ruecker
The Orthodox Bishop
of Ras-Prizren
and Kosovo-Metohija
No: ______
Date: May 31, 2007
Prizren - Gracanica
An Open Letter
Joachim Ruecker
SRSG UN
PRISTINA
Esteemed Mr. Rucker:
During our recent meeting in the Gracanica Monastery, you informed me that
on January 29, 2007, on behalf of UMNIK, you signed with UNESCO the
Agreement for the first project of the rehabilitation and preservation of
the cultural heritage of Kosovo and Metohija, expressing your hope that it
will serve as the model for other similar projects that will follow.
We also learned that on September 2006, UNMIK and UNESCO signed the
Memorandum of Mutual Understanding of the rehabilitation, protection, and
preservation of the cultural heritage of Kosovo and Metohija.
When I inquired as to "which churches in Kosovo and Metohija, stipulated by
this Agreement, does UNESCO refer to?", reminding you that I am the Bishop
in charge of the Ras and Prizren Diocese, and that without my consent and
approval no one can undertake any kind of works on any Serbian churches, you
, together with your co-worker, Mr. Mikhail Krasnoshchekov , kindly
responded that all that had already been arranged and confirmed by the Holy
Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade.
After consulting with the Holy Synod, I came to the realization that your
claim that "there had been an agreement with the Holy Synod of Bishops" does
not in fact reflect the truth.
Even though I am familiar with your activities in Kosovo and Metohija, -
your inclination and favouritism toward the Albanians, and your antagonistic
attitude toward the Serbs, as well as your strong and persistent engagement
in the promotion and realization of the lawless plan for an independent
Kosovo - I was astounded with your boldness and readiness to falsify and
distort the truth. I did not expect that anybody, not even you Mr. Ruecker,
would dare to utter such falsehoods. Nevertheless, this has only unmasked
your intentions and revealed your pro-Albanian leanings. Such misconduct on
your part has obliterated all trust that existed between us.
Perhaps we should simply view your activity in light of your countryman's
statements, Germany's Ambassador Mr. Cobel, who recently used his
ambassadorial position to express altogether inappropriate and deplorable
insults at the Serbian people and State.
Media coverage of UNMIK's press conference from January 29, 2007, mentions
your statement that the signing of the aforementioned Agreement is
"…enabling work to commence for the preservation of all types of heritage in
Kosovo".
Your pretentiousness is truly beyond belief, Mr. Ruecker! Do you really
think that the Serbian Church, the Serbian people, and the Serbian State
were only waiting for you before commencing work on the preservation of its
cultural heritage?
Do we really need such lawless Agreements and Memoranda to enable work to
commence for the preservation of what for centuries our ancestors had
created, guarded, and passed down to us?
The answer is explicit and unequivocal: we do not, Mr. Ruecker! We do not
need your assistance or your efforts in the preservation and protection of
the Serbian cultural heritage if offered in such a way and under such
circumstances. Kosovo and Metohija are an integral part of the Serbian State
and the Serbian Church and they are capable of protecting and preserving
their heritage from the aggression and vandalism of both the Albanian
terrorists and those who are unlawfully trying to usurp and relinquish it
from our hands.
The model that you are trying to fashion will not be possible to implement,
Mr. Ruecker, unless you intend to realize it forcibly, which only throws
more violence into the shoreless ocean of hostility used against the Serbs
in Kosovo and Metohija.
Yet, we should not lose sight of the fact that the end of your mandate will
come soon, Mr. Ruecker, as it came to your predecessors. The end of UNMIK's
mandate is also approaching and soon nobody will remember Mr. Ruecker and
his activities in Kosovo and Metohija. Like dust will the memory of you and
UNMIK fade and the trace left behind will be neither radiant nor agreeable.
But it is God's Church that will endure and survive in Kosovo and Metohija.
She endured the myriads of conquerors and procurators from time immemorial
and she will subsist today's tribulation. The mandate and existence of God's
Church in Kosovo and Metohija is measured in centuries, and it will continue
to be measured in centuries long into the future.
What was destroyed will be restored in the same manner as is already being
done with the Manastir Banjska, George's Pillars, Sts Archangels - but
without UNMIK and UNMIK's Contracts and Agreements
In the end, Mr. Ruecker, you should know that on the territory of the
Serbian State, in Kosovo and Metohija, one cannot conduct work in that way,
and cannot conclude similar Agreements without the consent of the Serbian
Orthodox Church and the Serbian State.
Why are you trying here, on the territory of the Serbian State, to contest
the right of the owner, creator, and guardian of its cultural heritage - the
very right that is honoured in your own county?
>From which historical perspective should that be seen, Mr. Ruecker?
I cannot help but wonder about your true convictions regarding us,
considering that you signed the Agreement which administers our property and
our cultural heritage and yet never found it necessary to inform me. I found
all this out only owing to the media coverage and during an informal meeting
with you, after two and half months, when you also attempted to mislead me.
My desire for the restoration of the destroyed and desecrated Serbian
cultural heritage is resolute and unequivocal. I assure you that no one more
than I, the Bishop of Ras and Prizren, has a stronger wish for a complete
and swift restoration of the 150 destroyed churches and monasteries.
I am also endeavouring to improve our situation and I want to do everything
that is within my power to commence the restoration as soon as possible.
This has been demonstrated in what has so far been accomplished under the
supervision and by the Diocese of Ras and Prizren in the restoration of
several monasteries. The list includes several monasteries that were
deserted (Banjska, Sts Archangels, George's Pillars, etc.).
I cannot emphasize enough how valuable and welcome any and every assistance
would be in supporting our efforts in this task but it has to be accompanied
by the respect of the rightful owner, creator, and guardian of the cultural
heritage throughout the centuries of Serbian history. You are in all
probability not accustomed to such a direct and open way of communication.
But what can be done, such is the language of Truth.
I expect that you, Mr. Ruecker , shall soon deliver to us the integral text
of the Agreement signed on January 29, 2007, as well the Memorandum signed
on September 2006.
With respect,
The Bishop of Ras-Prizren
and Kosovo-Metohija
+ARTEMIJE
_____
The Orthodox Bishop
of Ras-Prizren
and Kosovo-Metohija
No. _________
Date: May 31, 2007.
Prizren - Graèanica
Ms. Francoise Riviere
Assistant Director General for Culture
UNESCO
PARIS
Esteemed Madame Riviere:
During our most recent meeting with Mr. Joachim Ryker, the Special Envoy of
the Secretary General of the United Nations for Kosovo and Metohija and the
Chief Administrator of the UNMIK Mission, we learned that the agreement for
the first project of the rehabilitation and preservation of the cultural
heritage of Kosovo and Metohija was signed on January 29, 2007, between
UNESCO and UNMIK. We also learned that Mr. Ryker was the signatory on behalf
of UNMIK and that his counterpart on behalf of UNESCO was in fact you.
Owing to the Media coverage, we also discovered that the Memorandum of
Mutual Understanding was concluded between UNESCO and UNMIK on September
2006. The purpose of the Memorandum is to identify the interventions
required to proceed with the rehabilitation, protection, and preservation of
Kosovo’s cultural heritage.
Madame Riviere, I was quite astounded by these two distressing and
inopportune actions undertaken by UNESCO.
These actions also served as a reminder of the positions outlined in the
Reports prepared by the UNESCO missions after their 2003 and 2004 visits to
Kosovo and Metohija, and whose recommendations were also published in those
Reports. Many of those recommendations are unacceptable to: the Serbian
people; the Serbian Church; and Serbian Institutions. This is nothing but
rude interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, a member of
the UN and UNESCO, and is therefore a violation of the UNESCO Convention on
the preservation of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Because the purpose of this letter is not to scrutinize the Reports and
revise all their deficiencies, I shall restrain my writing to drawing
attention to a few unacceptable standpoints, conclusions, and
recommendations made by the aforementioned missions.
After the known pogrom against Serbs and their holy sites that took place in
Kosovo and Metohija on March 17, 2004, the UNESCO mission, in a Report
titled "Cultural Heritage in South East Europe: Kosovo", made the following
statements:
1. "UNESCO can collaborate on a regular basis with UNMIK in devising a
program for the protection of the cultural heritage"
2. "Furthermore the introduction of a system for annual monitoring of the
cultural heritage in Kosovo through a permanent committee of UNESCO experts
is recommended"
3. "The principal recommendation is that the international community in
Kosovo should proceed without delay to develop a new strategy and early
warning mechanisms for the protection of cultural heritage"
In the Report that followed the visit of the UNESCO mission in Kosovo and
Metohija in 2003, the following Recommendations were listed:
1. "It is recommended to the political authorities that the PISG
(Provisional Institutions of Self Government) - Ministry of Culture, Youth
and Sports open the doors for joint ventures with the donor countries and
relevant international organizations in order to undertake:
- a definition of priorities of the sites to be restored and
protected
- a reconstruction of destroyed monuments of exceptional historic
value
- the establishment of a specialized centre for the restoration of
cultural heritage sites, which would also train artisans and workers
specialized in traditional arts and crafts"
2. "UNMIK would have a central role to play in the implementation of the
above recommendations".
3. It is also suggested that “UNMIK could take the initiative of signaling a
new priority to cultural heritage protection.
The term "Kosovo heritage" is being used several times in both Reports. In
addition to this one, other terms are also being used - "cultural heritage
in Southeastern Europe", "cultural heritage in Kosovo", "multiethnic
heritage", and again "the monuments of Kosovo", the "unique history of
Kosovo", "Byzantine civilization".
But in referring to the heritage, whose creator and guardian has been the
Serbian Church and Serbian people over the centuries, the terms "Serbian
heritage" or "the heritage of the Serbian people" are not mentioned even
once. In this way the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is
being renamed, and the path is being laid for the institutions of the
Serbian people to be excluded from guarding their heritage which, in effect,
eliminates the prerogatives of the Serbian people to inhabit these
territories.
Without getting into a deeper analysis of the aforementioned and other
deficiencies of the Report, I can refer you to Ms. Marie-Paule Roudil from
Venice, with whom I carried on an extensive correspondence.
Unfortunately, it is only owing to the media coverage that I learned that
the signed Agreement stipulates the works on the churches of the Entrance of
the Most Holy Theotokos in Lipljane, St. Sava in Kosovska Mitrovica, St.
Archangel Michael in Stimlje and the Budisavci Monastery near Klina.
I wonder, to put it mildly, why UNESCO did not inform me - the official
Prelate of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija Diocese - about their intentions
regarding the activities on Kosovo and Metohija, about the signing of the
Agreement, and about the planned priorities?
When your colleague, Mr. Marie-Paule Roudil, intended to commence with
certain activities on the restoration of the Church of the Holy Theotokos
Ljeviska in Prizren in 2004, she was at least considerate enough to inform
me of her intentions and to ask for my consent.
I take this opportunity to advise you that I and my people cannot accept the
imposed priority list of the objects selected for the reconstruction. The
priority list, in case that cooperation and mutual dealings are required,
has to be in an agreement with the Bishop in charge of the Diocese.
It is also unacceptable that the international organizations take over the
role of conceiving the programs for the protection of Serbian cultural
heritage, of formulating the strategy, as defined in the UNESCO's Letter of
Recommendations, as well as for UNMIK to assume the pivotal role in the
implementation of the suggested Recommendations.
Is not such a policy, as defined in the referred UNESCO Report and now
applied by the signing of the Agreement by UNESCO and UNMIK on January 2007,
and by the signing of the Memorandum on September 2006, in direct opposition
to the Convention on the preservation of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage, adopted in Paris in 1972, which affirms that:
"…it is incumbent on the international community as a whole to participate
in the protection of the cultural and natural heritage of outstanding
universal values, by the granting of collective assistance which, although
not taking the place of action by the State concerned, will serve as an
efficient complement thereto";
"Whilst fully respecting the sovereignty of the States on whose territory
the cultural and natural heritage is situated, and without prejudice to
property rights provided by national legislation, the States. Parties to
this Convention recognize that such heritage constitutes a world heritage
for whose protection it is the duty of the international community as a
whole to cooperate";
"The States Parties undertake, in accordance with the provisions of this
Convention, to give their help in the identification, protection,
conservation, and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage, if the
States on whose territory it is situated so request."
Can UNESCO and UNMIK plan any undertaking in the domain of cultural heritage
in Kosovo and Metohija without the consent of the member state of the UN and
UNESCO?
Who has the right to relinquish the cultural heritage of one nation into the
hands of international organizations, that is into the hands of the Albanian
(Shqiptarian) community?
The state officials, be they ambassadors, whose mandates are limited and
short, are certainly not entitled to such rights; especially if they are not
members of the Church that has been the creator, guardian, and owner of the
largest share of Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija for
centuries.
I assure you that no one more than me, the Bishop of Ras and Prizren, has a
stronger wish for a complete and swift restoration of all churches and
monasteries destroyed over the past several years under the rule of the
international community that practically reigned over the part of the
Serbian state in Kosovo and Metohija.
It is, therefore, my opinion that the most likely way for UNESCO to realize
its wish to help restore Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is
by notifying me, in writing of your intentions, offering your resources and
readiness to assist in the process of the reconstruction led by the
Ras-Prizren Diocese.
The manner in which you commenced your involvement with the reconstruction
of destroyed Serbian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is otherwise
unacceptable, and could not actually be accomplished unless you intend to
forcibly impose your decisions against the wishes of the rightful owner and
heir of the heritage, thus damaging the credibility and reputation that
UNESCO enjoys on these territories.
A longing and a desire, a determination and an endeavor invested by me - the
Bishop of Ras and Prizren - in the reconstruction of destroyed and
devastated Serbian churches, has been demonstrated in what has so far been
accomplished in Kosovo and Metohija. This mandate was granted to me by the
Church that ordained me and is reinforced by the responsibility the Church
handed over to me to protect and oversee the heritage that the Serbian
people created over centuries. It is my duty to remain true to that mandate
and hand over the heritage to the next generations to enable them to build
their identity and a firm basis for their survival, as well as to allow them
to remain on the world stage.
With highest respect,
The Bishop of Ras-Prizren
and Kosovo-Metohija
+ARTEMIJE
Cc:Marie-Paule Roudil, Head of the Culture Section of UNESCO Office in
Venice
_____
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