Special Appeal from the
*American Council for Kosovo*
*(www.savekosovo.org)*
**
“/We are all expecting something difficult and horrible. Our message to
you, all Serbs in Kosovo, is to remain in your homes and around your
monasteries, regardless of what God allows or our enemies do.”/
Bishop Artemije of Ras and Prizren, archpastor of Orthodox Christians in
Kosovo.
The American Council for Kosovo today issued this /Special Appeal/ to
all Americans and citizens of other countries in the aftermath of the
illegal and void unilateral “declaration of independence” by Albanian
Muslims in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija and their
recognition by some countries, led, regrettably, by the United States:
The struggle for the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija has entered
a new phase, one likely to extend far into the future. With an illegal
and void "declaration" by Kosovo's UN-supervised Albanian Muslim
administration, which is dominated by the criminal leadership of a
terrorist organization, the so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA),"
followed by recognition of Kosovo's independence by a number of
countries -- shamefully, led by the United States -- an unprecedented
violation of the international order and global stability has been
committed. Countries claiming to be paragons of democracy and the rule
of law proudly assert that they have forcibly amputated, without its
consent, the territory of a sovereign state and member of the United
Nations.
But despite any declaration, despite any foreign recognitions, Kosovo is
no more independent now than it was before. Legally, it remains part of
the sovereign territory of the Republic of Serbia, and will remain so.
What has changed is the status of the international mission in Kosovo.
Since 1999, the United Nations and NATO have been present in Kosovo as
unwelcome guests with Serbia's agreement, pursuant to UN Security
Council Resolution 1244, which affirms Kosovo as part of Serbia and
provides for its "essential autonomy" within Serbia. Despite corrupt
reinterpretations by the recognizing countries, not one syllable of
Resolution 1244 provides for Kosovo's separation from Serbia. In
addition, Serbia specifically has rejected the illegal deployment on its
territory of a mission of the European Union (EU) tasked, ironically,
with legal reform.
Through their support of what Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica
has called a "puppet entity" on Serbia's territory, the recognizing
states and the EU have inflicted a grave act of political violence on
the international legal system. Their actions undermine the most basic
principal of international peace: guarantees of the territorial
integrity of sovereign states in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act,
and other universally binding commitments. Every multiethnic country,
especially those with violent separatist movements, is now placed at
risk. Americans should take note that what our government seeks to
inflict on Serbia today may be the fate of the southwest United States
tomorrow.
Even worse than the act of political violence, the declared
establishment and recognition of an illegal, separatist entity on
Serbian territory presents the threat of stepped-up physical violence.
As the archpastor of Kosovo's endangered Orthodox Christians, His Grace
ARTEMIJE, Bishop of Ras and Prizren, warned during his most recent visit
to Washington:
/"Threats have already been issued that after an independence
declaration and recognition, force would be used to shut down so-called
'parallel structures' in Serbian enclaves -- in reality the legitimate
institutions of our state -- including the Mitrovica office of the
Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija. Such actions, with expected attacks
on Serbian citizens, would constitute a direct assault on the Serbian
state and the Serbian nation. While it would be inappropriate to
disclose Serbia’s specific response, we will defend our territory and
our people as would any other democratic country. Russia and other
friendly countries are prepared to assist us. . . . We Serbs have
suffered many occupations in the past and triumphed over them. If
necessary we would survive this one as well. Despite any
intensification of the terror to which we Christians have been subjected
since 1999, my flock in Kosovo has no intention of leaving their homes."/
It would be up to the KLA and their supporters to decide whether to kick
off a new cycle of violence by attacking Serbs, who live in fear that
the remaining third of their pre-war population would be eradicated and
the rest of their churches destroyed. While advocates of Kosovo's
amputation from Serbia have taken comfort from the expectation that
Serbia would not respond appropriately to attacks on its citizens, that
expectation is a miscalculation. The Kosovo Albanians' terrorist
leadership and the recognizing states have needlessly created a volatile
mixture: shattering the international legal system, US-Russia
confrontation, violence on the ground, criminality, human rights
violations, and a new frozen conflict.
Purported justifications for Kosovo’s independence based on the supposed
“humanitarian intervention” by NATO in 1999 are misplaced. Far from the
usual claims that NATO stopped a humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo, the
past nine years have seen a slow-motion genocide in progress against the
province’s Christian Serbian population under the nose of the UN and
NATO, and at times with their assent. Two-thirds of the Serbian
population already has been expelled and have not been able to return
safely to their homes. Over 150 churches and monasteries have been
destroyed. Hundreds of new Saudi-funded mosques fomenting the extreme
Wahhabi doctrine have sprung up.
The American Council for Kosovo asks all Americans and citizens of other
countries to contact your government to demand:
* No diplomatic ties should be established with the illegal,
criminal, separatist, KLA regime in Pristina! Any ambassador
nominated to Pristina must be denied confirmation!
* No foreign assistance to the illegal, criminal, separatist, KLA
regime in Pristina!
* No support by the foreign mission in Kosovo should given to KLA
terrorist efforts to expand their “authority” into Serb-controlled
areas!
* The EU “rule of law” occupation force must be withdrawn!
* The illegal “puppet entity” on Serbian soil must be dissolved!
* New negotiations, without preconceived results, must be started
between Serbia and responsible representatives of the Albanian
community to reach a lasting settle consistent with international law!
Americans immediately should contact their Senators and Congressmen with
these demands. They should call the White House (202-456-1111) to
protest U.S. recognition and demand the above measures, or email to:
President George W. Bush: [Е-ПОШТА
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<mailto:[Е-ПОШТА
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Vice President Richard B. Cheney: [Е-ПОШТА
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<mailto:[Е-ПОШТА
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James George Jatras
Director, American Council for Kosovo (www.savekosovo.org
<http://www.savekosovo.org/>)
/The American Council for Kosovo is an activity of Squire Sanders Public
Advocacy, LLC, and Global Strategic Communications Group, which are
registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as agents for the
Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija, under the spiritual
guidance of His Grace, Bishop ARTEMIJE of Ras and Prizren. Additional
information with respect to this matter is on file with the Foreign
Agents Registration Unit of the Department of Justice in Washington DC./
/ /
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===============
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