Conference "Kosovo and Metohija as a Global Problem"

Conference “Kosovo and Metohija as a Global Problem”

The international conference “Kosovo and Metohija as a Global Problem” was held at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, from 14 to 18 November 2007. Under the slogan “The legal rights of the defense” conference was organized by the students of the Faculty of Law – the Student Parliament, with technical and other support of the Faculty of Law and with the help of the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hotel Moskva, Jat Airways. The conference began with the grand opening at the National Assembly on 14 November. Minister for Kosovo and Metohija in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Dr. Slobodan Samardzić, Belgrade University Rector Prof. Dr. Branko Kovačević, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade prof. Dr. Mirko Vasiljević and Marko Milutinović, student-Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law.

The oragnizers and participants of the International Conference on Kosovo and Metohija as a Global Problem have adopted the following resolution:

Kosovo and Metohija is the legal, moral, and integral part of Serbia. It is the historical, relgious and societal heartland of Serbia. Kosovo and Metohija is the birthplace of the Serbian nation.

Serbia has granted the Albanians of Kosovo the maximum possible authonomy within Serbia, short of independence. Beyond this sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia must be maintained. Specifically, the 1974 Helsinki Agreement guaranteeing the boundaries of the states of Europe must be upheld.

The conference determined that Kosovo is not a unique problem. Public declaration by Western leaders that is a unique problem does not make it a unique problem.While no two situations are exactly the same , the problem is similar to conditions in Chechnya in Russia, Xinnjiang in China, Kashmir in India, and Mindanao in Philippines. Like Kosovo, these are all Muslim majority provinces in larger Non-Muslim majority states which have sought independence through violence.

Serb military actions against Albanians in Kosovo were responses to terrorist and guerrilla activities by the Kosovo Liberation Army KLA. The KLA was initialy declared a terrorist oragnization as with the Liberation Tigers on Tamil Ealam in Shri Lanka seeking an independet Tamil state. Just as there is already an Albania for the Albanians there is already Tamil state in India for Tamils.

Since the KLA is hidden within the Albanian civilian population, civilians became unintended victims as they could not be distinguished. The situation here was the same as in Chechenya in Russia, Xinjiang in China, Kashmir in India, Tamil in Sri Lanka, Mindanao in Phillipines, and in all similar cases throughout the world.

The territorial integrity of all former republics of Yugoslavia were maintained within their pre-independence boundaries. Therefore, the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia must be preserved within its existing boundaries.

Resolution adopted unanimosly by acclaim, on Sunday, November 18, 2007.