Appeal of delegation of the Serbs in Diaspora

Belgrade, May 25th - Delegation of Serbs of the Diaspora, which participated in the meeting of the Diaspora Council in Belgrade, appealed to the United Nations, to all international institutions and eminent individuals on behalf of 4 millions of US, European and Australian citizens of Serbian origin. The appeal calls attention on hard situation of the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija region and demands urgent and appropriate implementing of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Assistant of the Federal minister of foreign affairs and chief of sector for Diaspora, Slavko Vejinovic, pointed out that moral and political power of the appeal come from the fact that it was sent by the Diaspora delegation which represents 4 millions of Serbs and Montenegrins from more than 100 countries in all continents.

The appeal was directed to the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to the Security Council, UN Working group for missing persons, Special Reporter on arbitrary and extrajudicial executions, UN Commission for human rights, Special Reporter on religious freedoms, UN Committee for torture, OSCE Council in Vienna, High Commissioner of the UN for refugees, Sadako Ogata, UNESCO, International Committee Of Red Cross, High Commissioner of the UN for human rights, Mary Robinson, Special Reporter on human rights condition in Bosnia, Croatia and FRY, Jiri Dienstbir, Barbara Davis, chief of the Headquarters Office in Belgrade, Bernard Kouchner, chief of the Civil mission in Kosovo-Metohija region and to the KFOR Commander, Juan Ortuno.

The appeal holds the following:

"On behalf of 4 millions of Serbs of the Diaspora we demand:

• releasing the Serbs confined in Kosovska Mitrovica prison who have been there for months without trial;

• finding and releasing thousands of Serbs kidnapped by terrorists of the so-called "KLA" during the period of disposing UNMIK and KFOR troops;

• providing the urgent disarmament of terrorist so-called "KLA" and its dismissal;

• stopping terrorism and ethnic cleansing of Serbs, Muslims, Romanies, Turks, highlanders and non-Albanian population in general;

• freedom of moving, security of citizens, public order and peace and human rights according to world standards;

• protection of religious monuments and monuments of Christian culture from terrorism and vandalism;

• free and safe return of the expelled;

• respecting the sovereignty and integrity of Serbia and implementation of SC Resolution 1244, or removal of KFOR and returning of Yugoslav army and police to the province;

• establishing the responsibility for the murder of 1000 Serbs, Muslims, Romanies, highlanders, Turks and other non-Albanian citizens as of the period of disposing of UNMIK and KFOR troops".

At the press conference after the visit to Kosovska Mitrovica on May 24th, Diaspora representatives pointed out that Chief of the Civil mission in Kosmet, Bernard Kouchner, did not receive the delegation consisted of Professor Radmila Milentijevic and Nadja Tesic (from the US), Professor Stojanka Aleksic (from Germany), Radomir Putnikovic (from Great Britain), Momir Dacic (from Australia), Dragan Djuric (from France) and Gojko Slijepcevic (from Sweden).

They stressed that Serbs in Kosmet were deprived of basic human rights and that in Kosovska Mitrovica prison Serbs were held for 11 months without trial, which is contrary to any law of any country in the world.