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Decision on the annulment
of the illegitimate acts of the provisional institutions of
self-government in Kosovo and Metohija on their declaration
of unilateral independence
Proceeding from the fact that the Republic of Serbia is an
internationally recognized state, one of the founders and a
member of the United Nations as well as of many other
international organizations;
Proceeding from the fact that the Republic of Serbia, like
all other member states of the United Nations, is subject to
the fundamental principles and norms of the United Nations
Charter which guarantees the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of independent states within their internationally
recognized borders;
Proceeding from the fact that the Constitution of the
Republic of Serbia guarantees the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia and that the
Constitution of the Republic of Serbia explicitly says that
the Province of Kosovo and Metohija forms an integral part
of Serbia’s territory, has the status of substantive
autonomy within the sovereign state of Serbia and that,
based on such a status of Kosovo and Metohija, all its
administrative bodies, including the Government of the
Republic of Serbia, have a constitutional duty to represent
and protect Serbia’s state interests in Kosovo and Metohija;
Proceeding from the fact that on 26 December the National
Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Resolution on
the Protection of Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity and
Constitutional Order of the Republic of Serbia which set out
that any declaration of Kosovo’s independence as well as
recognition thereof by any state, would constitute a gross
violation of international law and primarily of the UN
Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and Security Council
Resolution 1244. Such acts and activities would directly
jeopardize the sovereignty, territorial integrity and
constitutional order of the Republic of Serbia;
Proceeding from the fact that the United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1244 has explicitly stipulated that
Kosovo and Metohija forms an integral part of the Republic
of Serbia, that this resolution has affirmed “the commitment
of all the states to its sovereignty and territorial
integrity” as well as that this legal fact has also been
explicitly mentioned in previous United Nations Security
Council Resolutions, i.e. numbers 1160, 1199, 1203 (all of
1998) and number 1239 of 1999;
Expressing unreserved commitment to the United Nations
Charter and to the principles and tenets of sovereign
equality of the United Nations member states which underpin
the UN Charter, respecting UN Security Council Resolution
1244 under which the United Nations mission has been
established in Kosovo and Metohija as well as the strong
commitment of the Republic of Serbia to respect
international law that constitutes the cornerstone of global
peace and security,
By virtue of Article 97 paragraph 1 of the Constitution of
the Republic of Serbia, Article 182 paragraph 2 of the
Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and Article 43
paragraph 1 of the Law on the Government (Official Gazette
of RS, Nos 55/05 and 71/05-correction and 101/07), the
Government of the Republic of Serbia has adopted the
following
D E C I S I O N
TO ANNUL THE ILLEGITIMATE ACTS OF THE PROVISIONAL
INSTITUTIONS OF SELF-GOVERNMENT IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ON
THEIR DECLARATION OF UNILATERAL INDEPENDENCE
1. The acts and actions of the Provisional Institutions of
Self-government of Kosovo and Metohija whereby unilateral
independence is declared are hereby annulled as they violate
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of
Serbia guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of
Serbia, the United Nations Charter, Security Council
Resolution 1244 (1999), other relevant Security Council
Resolutions as well as by international law in force. These
acts represent a violent and unilateral secession of a part
of the territory of the Republic of Serbia and this is why
they are invalid and void. These acts do not produce any
legal effect either in the Republic of Serbia or in the
international legal order. Unilateral secession of a part of
the territory of a sovereign state constitutes legal
violence against the Republic of Serbia and violence against
international law in force.
2. The Government of the Republic of Serbia re-asserts with
this Decision that the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and
Metohija is an inalienable part of a single and inseparable
constitutional and legal state order of the Republic of
Serbia based on the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia
and the United Nations Charter.
3. The Government of the Republic of Serbia re-asserts with
this Decision that Serbs, non-Albanians and all other
citizens of the province of Kosovo and Metohija who
recognize the state of Serbia have full civil rights and are
equal citizens of the Republic of Serbia and that they have
the full right not to recognize the illegitimate act of
declaration of unilateral independence.
4. The Government of the Republic of Serbia asserts its
readiness to implement in the territory of the Autonomous
Province of Kosovo and Metohija the Constitution and the
laws as well as the entire legal order of the Republic of
Serbia.
5. The Government of the Republic of Serbia demands from all
other public institutions and state bodies of the Republic
of Serbia, as laid down by the Constitution, to undertake
all constitutional and legal acts and actions to secure and
ensure the unity and inseparability of the territory of the
Republic of Serbia guaranteed by the Constitution of the
Republic of Serbia, in accordance with the Resolution 1244
and the Military-Technical Agreement between the
International Security Force (“KFOR”) and the Governments of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of
Serbia.
6. Recalling the National Assembly Resolution on the
Protection of Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity and
Constitutional Order of the Republic of Serbia and, in
particular, point 5 thereof by which the National Assembly
demands from the Government of Serbia to determine with the
EU that EU mission may not come to the territory of Serbia,
to Kosovo and Metohija without an appropriate UN Security
Council decision to that effect, the Government of Serbia
considers all the decisions of the EU bodies on sending a
mission to Kosovo and Metohija to be invalid. Thus, these
decisions produce no legal effect for Serbia nor any
obligations for Serbia as regards their implementation.
7. The Government of the Republic of Serbia demands from the
UN Security Council to convene a Security Council session
under urgent procedure which would annul forthwith the
illegitimate act of declaration of the Province’s unilateral
independence. The Government of the Republic of Serbia
demands from the Special Representative of the United
Nations Secretary General to undertake all actions at his
disposal under Security Council Resolution 1244 as well as
under the other relevant acts of that UN body, in order to
prevent violation of the United Nations Charter and Security
Council Resolution 1244 and immediately annul all the acts
and actions whereby the Province’s unilateral independence
is illegitimately declared as well as to preclude any
further violation of the mentioned resolution, the other
relevant acts of the Security Council, the United Nations
Charter and the valid norms and rules of international law.
8. The Government of the Republic of Serbia demands from all
the UN member states to respect the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia in
accordance with international law, the United Nations
Charter and Security Council Resolution 1244.
9. The present Decision will come into force at the date of
its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of
Serbia.
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