Serbian President Criticizes International Community Over Kosovo

Serbian state broadcaster, Radio Television Serbia, airs an interview with President Boris Tadic at 2010 gmt on 17 March. The main topic are the clashes in Kosovo between the Serb judicial workers who were protesting inside the Kosovska Mitrovica courthouse and the international forces which stormed the building. The events dating back to 2004, when, on 17 March as well, Kosovo Albanians attacked Serb enclaves, also come into focus.

President Boris Tadic says this is “a very bad coincidence”. The president states that “this is not the first time that sensitive dates from our history are used for actions which contradict Serbian people’s vital and legitimate interests in Kosovo-Metohija,” adding that European officials have not offered any answer after he complained about the issue.

“When it comes to talks with [NATO Secretary-General] Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, he told me that the international forces and police had the information that Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija were preparing to storm a police station, so this was a preventive action. I absolutely disagree,” Tadic says before going on to heavily criticize the international community.

Speaking about 2004, when he was defence minister, about “the exodus, violence, bestialities”, he says he encountered great difficulties in his contacts with international officials: “No-one believed me. I said – ethnic cleansing of Serbs, and they said – no, you are the ones who have been ethnically cleansing others, other nations do not do it to you.” NATO-led Kfor was doing a catastrophic job back then, as well as submitting false reports on the situation in Kosovo, the president says.

However, he adds that one of NATO commanding officers in 2004, Adm Gregory Johnston, was of great help.

Tadic regrets Serbia’s “moral victory” in the 2004 riots has not been used better for promoting the country’s interests, adding that “extremists in our ranks” ruined it all by torching mosques. “Whenever we claim a moral victory on the international scene, there is immediately an erroneous reaction of ours. As if we were constantly falling into a trap,” the president said, adding: “We should avoid falling into traps, because that costs us so dearly, and we also decrease the capacity for defending our legitimate interests, wherever they are endangered.”

Originally published by RTS1 TV, Belgrade, in Serbian 2010 17 Mar 08.

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