Serbia draws attention to national minorities

Negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija are making the issue of inter-ethnic relations more important. In Belgrade, the Serbian Academy of Science and Art organized a conference on the "Position of Minorities in Serbia" opened by Serbian President Boris Tadic.

Speaking of the future status of Kosmet, Tadic said that every community that tries to establish any form of independence must show itself capable of protecting all European and civilizational values. He added that this issue, besides legal principles is preventing Kosovo from becoming an independent state. The Serbian President underlined that it was necessary to resolve the issue of the Serb national minority in Kosovo-Metohija, which today is one of the most endangered communities in modern Europe.

According to him, Kosmet is a part of Serbia where human and minority rights have for a number of years been violated, but depending on the time the victims were members of different nations. This is why the debate on negotiations on the future status of the province is of essential importance for the respect of all rights.

Tadic assessed that the rights of Albanians are not sufficiently discussed in Serbia. The present political establishment is not doing enough to change the attitude of Serbs towards the Albanian minority into a positive one, irrespective of the fact that both peoples have complicated mutual disputes. Tadic expressed his wish to conduct a policy on the state level, which would be open to integration of all including the Albanian population into our society and good-neighborly relations. According to him, the only way to contribute to the stability in the European sense of the word, the quality of life our citizens and members of various ethnic communities is to establish the best possible relations with peoples and states with which we have disputes.

Citizens of every state, whether members of majority or minority peoples, are the embodiment of its sovereignty. This is why, especially transition countries, such as Serbia and Montenegro, must contribute and implement adequate laws which would organize but also improve the quality of their life, Radio Serbia and Montenegro reports.

V.Y.