Assessing the UN Resolution on Kosovo

Reporting to both Chambers of the Assembly of Yugoslavia, Prime Minister 
Bulatovic spoke of the advantages to Yugoslavia of the UN Security Council 
resolution compared to the Rambouillet statement that the Yugoslav 
Government rejected.

Bulatovic listed five advantages and said that despite "the aggressor's 
military might the defence capability of our country has been preserved as 
well as our armed forces.

"Thanks to outstanding tactics, high-level professionalism and exemplary 
patriotism, the Army of Yugoslavia and our security forces have deserved 
the respect of all, including the enemy forces."

He went on: "The political and legal advantages of the UN Security Council 
resolution over the so-called Rambouillet agreement are indisputable and 
many-fold.

"In effect, the document from Rambouillet is a one-sided act which was 
prepared and signed by the diplomatic representatives of the countries that 
committed aggression against our county together with Albanian separatists 
and terrorists.

"By the UN Security Council resolution, the Kosmet (Kosovo and Metohija) 
issues will be resolved by the organised and institutionalised 
international community on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations.

"It guarantees and ensures all the principles and rules of international 
law, particularly the inviolability of frontiers, that is, the territorial 
integrity and State sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

"As opposed to that, the documents from Rambouillet were the outcome of an 
informal group of a part of the international community with a view to 
lending support to Albanian separatists and terrorists in the fulfillment 
of their illegal goals.

Secondly, there is a mechanism to resolve the Kosmet issues. The Federal 
Republic of Yugoslavia can express and defend its interests more 
successfully than in the so-called informal international organs and 
organisations.

In addition, our interests can be supported efficiently by Russia and 
China, whose position and place within the United Nations are extremely 
important.

Thirdly, the mechanism to resolve the Kosmet issue in the United Nations is 
connected to regular (annual) assessment, review and possible extension.

The mechanism is therefore temporary, meaning that as soon as the situation 
is normalised on the basis of assessment and active participation of all, 
not just some countries of the international community, the mechanism shall 
be terminated.

Moreover, the security aspect of the resolution has been entrusted to the 
international forces set up on the basis of the mandate envisaged by the 
Charter of the United Nations, and not on the uncontrolled and alienated 
forces of NATO.

Fourthly, as opposed to the Rambouillet documents, the subjects of the 
resolution are the institutions of the UNO and the Federal Republic of 
Yugoslavia as its member state.

The subjects are not Albanian separatists and terrorists from the so-called 
KLA. This has created a very efficient impediment to the international KLA 
entity as the first step in secession of Kosovo and Metohija.

Finally, and fifth, in relation to civilian aspects, the Security Council 
resolution imposes the principles from the Rambouillet document be taken 
into account, but not the document itself, said Mr Bulatovic.

It is known that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has accepted those 
principles even in Rambouillet but that essentially the problem was that 
those principles were not included and worked out in it, particularly not 
the principle of the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Security Council resolution takes the principles from Rambouillet on 
the whole and respects the territorial integrity and State sovereignty of 
the FR of Yugoslavia which implies that any political solution has to be in 
the context of the integrity and sovereignty of Yugoslavia.

It is of particular importance that the SC resolution does not envisage nor 
promise more than substantial autonomy for Kosovo and Metohija, unlike the 
document from Rambouillet which spoke of an interim solution, a three-year 
period of review and a referendum which all implied the legalisation of the 
secession of the southern Serb province.

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has on time, fully honoured its 
commitments arising from the UN resolution. However, the arrival of the 
international forces was coupled with many problems, above all, the 
uncontrolled infiltration of members of the so-called KLA, particularly 
gangsters and criminals from the Republic of Albania, which immediately 
started to terrorise and loot the population and their property in Kosovo.

As a result it, to a certain extent, led to the exodus of Serbs and other 
non-Albanian residents from this region

By the energetic activities of the Federal Yugoslav Government, the 
Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Interim Executive Council of 
Kosovo and Metohija and many political, scientific and humanitarian 
activists who are today with their people in Kosovo and Metohija, the 
tendency [to leave] has been reversed and the Serbs and Montenegrins are 
starting to return to Kosovo and Metohija.

At the same time, it was requested that the international forces under the 
auspices of the United Nations guarantee full security of citizens and 
immediately engage in disarming the terrorist gangs which is under-way. 
This remains our priority task.

On the one hand, the extension of direct assistance to the residents of 
Kosovo and Metohija, and on the other, insistence on the consistent 
fulfillment of obligations arising from the Security Council resolution for 
the UN forces to protect all citizens, all public institutions and all 
property.