Vladislav Jovanovic

New York, August 15th - Yugoslavia's UN ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic has lodged a strongly worded protest with the UN Security Council over KFOR`s storming of the Trepca mining complex and asked for the urgent session of that most responsible body of the World Organization.

The letter says:

"KFOR used armed force against peaceful employees and management of "Trepca" Shareholding Corporation and the official state representatives, as well as the peaceful Serbian population in that part of the Province. Even though the basic task of UNMIK and KFOR under Security Council Resolution 1244 is to guarantee physical and property security of residents, and to provide a secure environment in the Province, by this attack they have openly aligned themselves before the eyes of the entire world public with ethnic Albanian separatists and terrorists.

The attack on, and the occupation of, "Trepca" by KFOR constitutes the most drastic violation of their mandate and the provisions of the Security Council resolution 1244 so far. This is a unique case of forces acting under a mandate of the United Nations being massively engaged against a peaceful population for the protection of which they have been dispatched by the Security Council.

The goals of the demonstration of the armed force of KFOR are very clear indeed: the intimidation and expulsion of the Serbian population, continuation of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs and other non-Albanians and an illegal usurpation of "Trepca" and of national, economic and natural resources.

The alleged concern of Bernard Kouchner for the protection of the environment is yet another cynical and transparent attempt to hoodwink the world public opinion and the Security Council, which confirms that the KFOR action is completely unfounded and represents the most flagrant and brazen violation of the decisions of the Security Council and the norms of the international law in general. Behind the deception are those who are responsible for the aggression on my country last year, for the loss of thousands of human lives, for the humanitarian, economic and environmental catastrophe, as well as for the escalation of terrorism and separatism in South East Europe and in other parts of the world. They are those who sowed over 30,000 bombs with depleted uranium all over Kosovo and Metohija during the 3-month aerial bombardment the consequences of which are unforeseeable.

Bearing in mind the gravity of the situation and the consequences that may arise from such acts, the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia demands energetically that the Security Council condemn the takeover of "Trepca" and to bring a decision to return the situation into the status quo ante so as to enable "Trepca" and its employees to continue normal work.

The Government of the FR of Yugoslavia wishes to point out that it will not recognize the consequences of this violent act nor the situations that have arisen on the basis of the acts of KFOR and UNMIK.

Alongside the armed action against "Trepca", KFOR has carried out vandal raids against the only remaining organs in the Serbian language in Kosovo and Metohija, Radio "S" in Zvecan and the newspaper "Jedinstvo" in Pristina. Their offices and equipment have been smashed and destroyed while brutal force has been used against journalists and other personnel. The vandal suppression of the Serbian-language media with the use of armed military force continues an unprecedented act and is part of the extended collaboration of KFOR and UNMIK with ethnic Albanian separatists and terrorists on the realization of the concept of ethnic cleansing.

The aforementioned is a clear confirmation that the overall activity of UNMIK and KFOR serves the goals that are in full contrast to Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) and that they are conducive to the further exacerbation of the situation with the unforeseeable consequences.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council." it is stated at the end of the FRY `s protest with the UN Security Council.