Samardzic meets Ruecker in Kosovo, urges Serbs to cooperate with Unmik
Serbia’s minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic met with Unmik chief Joachim Ruecker in Kosovo on Monday, and urged Kosovo Serbs to cooperate with Unmik, as the sole international civilian authority which is legally authorized to be present the southern Serbian province.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Samardzic said that Serbia would do all it can to maintain peace and order "in the areas that it controls, where Serbs live."
We will keep convincing Serbs to cooperate with the U.N. mission," he said, "but the U.N. must remember that violence against international law begets violence."
Serbia would also provide jobs, education and infrastructure in Serbian areas of Kosovo, Samardzic said.
"They must enjoy life in the Serbian state as all other citizens of Serbia do. Serbia will do everything it can to achieve that," he told reporters in central Kosovo.
Ruecker urged Serbia to renew its respect for the U.N. mandate after Serbs in northern Kosovo torched two UNMIK border crossings last week.
Ruecker told Samardzic that Resolution 1244 puts the United Nations and KFOR peacekeeping forces "in charge of the entire territory of Kosovo."
"I made it very clear to him that condoning violence, directly or indirectly, is totally unacceptable," Ruecker said.
