The Russian leaders are deeply concerned over the development of the situation in Kosovo, says the document. "A sharp upsurge of violence provoked by extremists in this province has revealed the policy of the ethnic purges of the non-Albanian population of Kosovo, first of all, the Kosovo Serbs, conducted by them", stresses the document.
Russia had repeatedly drawn attention to the danger of such a turn of events, notes the statement. "However, the alarming tendencies which were developing in recent years did not receive an adequate reply from the international organizations and forces present in Kosovo -the UN Mission for Kosovo and the NATO-led KFOR. Today, it has become finally clear that the attempts at indulging extremists from among the Kosovo Albanians, who have taken a course for forming a mono-ethnic society failed, creating serious destabilization risks for the whole region", says the statement.
New refugees are joining the tens of thousands of representatives of the non-Albanian population of Kosovo who were evicted from this province earlier and are living in the conditions that do not correspond to elementary norms. The hundreds of thousands of Serbs who had to leave other Balkan sates during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia have been practically forgotten. These glaring violations of the basic human rights and freedoms have been taking place before the very eyes of "civilized Europe".
The Serbs who are remaining in Kosovo are seeking refuge behind the walls of the churches and monasteries which have not yet been destroyed in the province, however, there, they do not feel protected against the extremists who are preparing to do a short work of them, either, stresses the document.
The Russian foreign ministry notes that in these conditions, it would not be enough just to increase the strength of the NATO forces that are part of the KFOR. These Forces must take strict measures to suppress the seats of violence, reliably protect the civil population, together with the UN Mission in Kosovo, make the Kosovo-Albanian leaders undeviatingly fulfil the requirements of the UN Security Council on the principles of the Kosovo settlement. Until these measures are taken and the extremists are curbed, it is useless to talk about determining the political status of Kosovo," says the document.
The Russian foreign ministry notes that the tragic events in Kosovo also directly influence the situation in all Serbia and Montenegro. "The accumulation in its territory of people detached from their homes, large-scale demonstrations of protest in major cities are seriously destabilizing the socio-political situation, distracting attention and resources from the solution of the priority problems facing the country. The European Union, which directly participated in the coordination of the principles on which the State of Serbia and Montenegro was created bears special responsibility", says the statement.
It also stresses that the UN Security Council must also have its weighty say and insist on the implementation of its resolutions. "Vague wordings do not fit in this case. A spade must be called a spade".
"Giving at this stage additional assistance to the civil population evicted from Kosovo, Russia is prepared for close and active cooperation with partners in the Contact Group and the UN Security Council, with the European Union in the interests of an early cessation of the tragedy in Kosovo and direction of the situation into the framework determined in the UN decisions," stated the Russian foreign ministry.
"We expect that our partners in the capitals of western countries involved in the Kosovo settlement will draw serious conclusions from what happened, focus attention on a just solution of the Kosovo problem, which is a key one for Europe, avoiding double standards in assessing the state of affairs in various regions of our continent," says the statement of the Russian foreign ministry.
