Three-member delegation of the Committee on Kosovo and Metohia, headed by the Committee Chairman, Vladimir Milentijevic and comprising Stojanka Petkovic and Zvonko Mihajlovic, talked today with the rapporteur of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Pieter Omtzigt.

He stressed that the goal of his visit was familiarising himself with the human rights conditions on Kosovo and Metohia so as to prepare a report to be discussed by the authorised committee of the Council of Europe PA in the context of resolving the final status of the Province. He was particularly interested in Serbia’s efforts to establish trust in the Province and create conditions for the realisation of human and minority rights of all who live there.

Chairman Milentijevic and the delegation members stressed the difficult position of the Serbian and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohia and the further endangerment of their basic rights and freedoms. They also emphasised that by the proposed principles for the continued negotiations on the future status of Kosovo, especially the proposal to have as much as 95% of all government authority be transferred onto Kosovo institutions, the Albanian side is given the highest possible concessions and the status of the most privileged nation.

The Committee Chairman questioned the legal basis for the Albanian representatives’ request for the independence of Kosovo and Metohia, considering the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and other documents of International Law. He opined that the international community should not put deadlines onto the negotiation process nor encourage the Albanian side by individual positions. The delegation members emphasised that Serbia will never and under no conditions accept the independence of Kosovo and Metohia and that all state and political elements are unanimous in this position.