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The Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro has passed a declaration on
Kosovo.
Yevgeny Kryshkin has more.
The document passed by Skupstina says Kosovo is an integral part of
Serbia and Montenegro. This position takes on significance following recent
attempts by the leadership of the Albanian community to gain independence.
Kosovo was actually torn away from Serbia in the wake of NATO's aggression
against former Yugoslavia in 1999 when multinational peacekeeping forces
were brought in. The Albanian separatists made use of the situation to
crack down on Serbs, Montenegrins, Croatians, Gypsies and other minorities.
Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes and seek
refuge outside Kosovo. Some reports say more than a quarter of a million
refugees found temporary shelter in Serbia. The declaration approved by
the parliament of Serbia and Montenegro urges the international community
to fully implement United Nations' Security Council resolution 1244 adopted
4 years ago. It calls for the return of refugees and stipulates that all
necessary measures be taken to ensure security and the freedom of travel
and to stop ethnic and religious discrimination in Kosovo. As long as these
recommendations remain on paper, there can be no question of determining
the region's status, let alone the fact that it should be preceded by negotiations
between Belgrade and Pristina, Kosovo's administrative center. The head
of the UN mission in Kosovo Harry Holkery believes that the Belgrade-Pristina
dialogue should be part and parcel of an ultimate settlement.
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