The National Assembly of the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, will hold a session in early July to ratify the Declaration of the “All-Serbian Assembly”, signed on June 8.
This is what the Speaker of the Assembly, Nenad Stevandiq, said.
The “All-Serbian Assembly” was held on June 8 in Belgrade.
During the meeting, the Government of Serbia and that of Republika Srpska signed the Declaration for the protection of national and political rights and for the common future of the Serbian people.
The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, has said that the document refers to the Dayton Agreement – which ended the war in Bosnia – and does not mention the divisions there.
This document must be approved by the parliaments of both parties within 90 days.
Stevandić told Radio and Television of Serbia, on June 9, that the approved document is not about a “Greater Serbia”, but about the protection of the rights of Serbs in all countries.
Members of the Serbian List, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of official Belgrade, also participated in the organization of June 8.
The Serbian president has said that this document mentions both Kosovo and Resolution 1244.
“We have clearly mentioned the dialogue as an essential way to solve the problems between us and the Albanians. There is no other solution but dialogue”, he said.
During the meeting, it was insisted on, as it was said, “the use of the full name of the southern Serbian province – Kosovo and Metohija” – as a reference to the state of Kosovo.
What is said about Kosovo?
In addition to the part about the name, the Declaration also mentions that Kosovo “is an inalienable part of Serbia”, and that the All-Serbian Assembly supports the efforts of the Republic of Serbia to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty, guaranteed by international law, Resolution 1244 and other resolutions of United Nations Security Council.
Among other things, it is mentioned that Serbs in Kosovo, as well as all other citizens who are loyal to Serbia, must protect monasteries, churches, private properties, cemeteries and other endangered objects.
The signatories of the Declaration have also condemned what they considered intolerable living conditions of Serbs in Kosovo, created by the authorities of Pristina, but without mentioning any concrete facts.
In another point, the need to create the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo, and the continuation of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue in Brussels, was mentioned as the only sustainable way to solve the problem.
Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and is constantly engaged in lobbying campaigns against Kosovo.
The two countries have been in dialogue in Brussels, for the normalization of relations, since 2011.
The parties have signed a number of agreements, but not all have been implemented. /REL
