The Request to hold the extraordinary session set the following agenda:

1. Proposal of the Declaration of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia on the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija following the unilateral and violent actions of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina, submitted by the Government.

The session was attended by the President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic; Deputy Prime Ministers Ivica Dacic, Bozidar Djelic and Jovan Krkobabic; Government ministers Vuk Jeremic, Goran Bogdanovic, Dragan Sutanovac, Milutin Mrkonjic, Zoran Stankovic, Predrag Markovic, Dusan Petrovic, Milan Markovic and Nebojsa Ciric, as well as the Head of the Negotiating Team for dialogue with the representatives of the provisional institutions in Pristina Borislav Stefanovic. From the gallery of the Grand Hall, the session was followed by the representatives of the embassies of the Russian Federation, USA, China, India, Algeria and Slovakia.

After the National Assembly Speaker opened the discussion on the Declaration Proposal, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic explained the Declaration Proposal to the MPs saying that the Government requested an urgent National Assembly session due to the dramatic exacerbation of the situation in Kosovo-Metohija caused by the provisional government in Pristina by its irresponsible, unilateral and politically motivated actions. The Prime Minister added that the actions aimed to change the real situation in the field, cause unrest among the Serbian population, install the institutions of so-called independent Kosovo in the north and provoke Serbia into discontinuing the dialogue which had started to give results. Addressing the situation, the Government of the Republic of Serbia acted in accordance with Resolution 1244 and through talks made sure that the special police forces of the provisional government in Pristina be withdrawn from the administrative crossings. Their task was also to prevent incidents in the field, ensure protection and supplies for the local populace, as well as ensure the functioning of the institutions of the Republic of Serbia and local self-government in the municipalities in Kosovo-Metohija. The Government of the Republic of Serbia also worked on mobilizing the international community and drew attention to the causes and point of the worsening situation requesting a discussion at the UN Security Council to deliberate on the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, said Prime Minister Cvetkovic. The Government is committed not to make a single move which would endanger the survival of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and destabilize the region. He repeated that both the international community and Albanian institutions in Pristina should be aware that the Government of the Republic of Serbia will never recognise the independence of Kosovo. The Prime Minister urged the international community, UN and EU to strictly follow Resolution 1244 and act in accordance with their mandate which is to ensure peace and stability, not to construct an illegal independence of Kosovo-Metohija. He sent a request to the international peace missions and KFOR military mission not to support the unilateral acts, provocations and abuse of the provisional government in Pristina. He urged the UN and EU to, by returning to the previous state, reform dialogue as the way to address the problems, and the citizens of Kosovo-Metohija, primarily the Albanians, to refrain from violence, and the Serbs stand united and express their protests peacefully. Ending his address, Prime Minister Cvetkovic urged the MPs to stand united, and support the Government’s activities toward resolving the crisis and ensuring a lasting peace and defending Serbian interests in Kosovo-Metohija.

The MPs were then addressed by Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic who presented the international aspect of the crisis developing in a complex context. The Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic activities are aimed at preventing the de facto establishment of statehood of the parallel institutions in Pristina. The Ministry and other state bodies act toward preventing the recognition of Kosovo independence and preventing the membership of the provisional institutions of self-government in Kosovo-Metohija in international political organisations, added Minister Jeremic. He restated that the recognition process of said independence has been almost halted and in the last year only several countries recognised Kosovo, the pressure of some of the most influential countries of the world notwithstanding. In addition, the parallel bodies in Pristina failed to secure membership in any international political organisations. All of this has provoked the unilateral use of force aimed at altering the real situation in the field, concluded Minister Jeremic. Immediately after the outbreak of the crisis the Government reacted by requesting an urgent session of the UN Security Council. Minister Jeremic informed the MPs on the course and manner in which the UNSC consultations on the subject took place. He added that Serbia expects to receive an answer to the question who ordered the unilateral act of the special forces so-called ROSU crossing the Ibar, whether someone in the international community knew about these plans, why EULEX abandoned the northern territory leaving the Serbs and other non-Albanians unprotected, and how it came to be that some international organisations acting in Kosovo-Metohija in accordance with Resolution 1244 abandoned their neutral status. Through the countries which took part in the closed consultations Serbia requested that the unilateral acts be condemned and Resolution 1244 be followed, said Minister Jeremic. The UN Secretary General was asked to forward the document containing Serbia’s exposition to the UN member states. An initiative to hold a session of the OSCE Council Standing Committee was also launched to present Serbia’s position, and the entire global diplomatic-consular network contacted the EU member states and UN member states. Serbia’s position was also presented to the European Commission, NATO and “Kvinta” ambassadors, requesting the return to the prior situation. In the upcoming period the Ministry would continue its diplomatic action aiming to keep the situation in Kosovo-Metohija in the international community’s sight, and the UN Secretary General was asked that all events be meticulously documented and included into the UNMIK’s report at the UN Security Council’s next session in late August this year.

In his address to the MPs, Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac stressed that the Minister and Serbian Army, in line with their competences and binding international treaty, acted in order to prevent the escalation and possible life loss on both sides. The Army representatives are in constant contact with KFOR representatives which is the only one authorised according to the 1999 treaty, said Sutanovac. The Minister briefed the MPs on the talks at the enlarged military committee with the representatives of NATO states and Partnership for Peace on the perception of the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, where they asked for support to prevent further escalation of violence. The Deputy Chief of the General Staff met with the KFOR Deputy Commander in Nis where they were informed that KFOR did not know what would happen in the night of 25 July. The Minister deemed that this was a unilateral wish of the Pristina authorities to address problems in an unacceptable manner, by using force. The Minister also stated that communication with KFOR would be continued so as to explain the need to revert to the starting positions and prevent the escalation of clashes.

Minister of Economy and Regional Development Nebojsa Ciric informed the National Assembly on the situation regarding the so-called customs stamps i.e. prevention of placement of Serbian goods on the territory of Kosovo-Metohija. The Government believes it to be a violation of the CEFTA agreement and has sent a letter to CEFTA and UNMIK. He informed the MPs that the consultations with UNMIK have not been stopped, that the issue is currently overshadowed by the events in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, and that in the upcoming period they would be informed about how the problem is addressed. He reminded them that Serbia places about 350 million EUR worth of products in Kosovo-Metohija and that they are seeking ways to make sure the goods still make it to the consumers.

Minister of Kosovo-Metohija Goran Bogdanovic briefed the MPs, chronologically, on the events in the past five days in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, from the action by the Kosovo special police force to the activities implemented by the Government to find a peaceful solution. He deemed that the attempt to take over the administrative crossings of Jarinje and Brnjak in the night between 25 and 26 July and the ensuing crisis have so far been the biggest challenge to peace and stability and Pristina’s most serious attempt to thrust its institutions into the north of the province. He expressed suspicions that Pristina did not make this move without at least the tacit agreement of a part of the international community. He deemed that the situation has been additionally complicated by the actions and statements of the representatives of the international community who expressed their readiness to fully implement Pristina’s acts on the trade embargo and deployment of Albanian police and customs officers at the administrative crossings, as well as turn the crossings of Jarinje and Brnjak into a so-called forbidden military zone where live ammunition may be used. Minister Bogdanovic concluded that the talks have so far managed to ensure the withdrawal of members of the Kosovo special police forces from the north of Kosovo-Metohija, but that the guarantees that the situation would be normalized and reverted to the situation prior to the incident have not been honoured. He conveyed the message of the citizens of Kosovo-Metohija to the MPs to show unity today and urged the MPs, particularly those from Kosovo-Metohija, to endorse the Declaration Proposal.

After Minister Bogdanovic, the MPs were addressed by the Head of the Negotiating Team for the talks with the representatives of the provisional institutions in Pristina Borislav Stefanovic who informed the National Assembly on the current events in Kosovo-Metohija. He opined that the situation was reaching the scope of a state of emergency and almost armed conflict. He briefed the MPs on his and the Minister of Kosovo-Metohija’s activities in the north of the Province, as well as their conversations with the citizens. He deemed that we are facing several difficult days in which a solution to the road block and administrative crossings should be found.

The address of the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia to the National Assembly was followed by the address of MP Ljubomir Kragovic, Chairman and rapporteur of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija who presented the Committee’s Report on the deliberations on the Declaration Proposal. He said that the Committee had held a sitting where it unanimously decided to propose that the National Assembly accept the Declaration Proposal, and that in the continuation of the sitting it would vote on the amendments submitted to the Declaration proposal by the MPs.

Authorised representative Konstantin Arsenovic spoke on the behalf of the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia – PUPS Parliamentary Group pointing out that the Parliamentary Group would endorse the Declaration Proposal and new potentially good proposals and appealed to all the MPs to achieve as much unity as possible in order to address the problems in Kosovo-Metohija. In his address he added that the actions in Kosovo-Metohija put additional pressure on Serbia and attempted to essentially annul Resolution 1244. He spoke of the current events in Kosovo-Metohija as well as the role and activities of the international forces there present. In addition he spoke of the data on the number of exiles from the territory of Kosovo-Metohija after the deployment of KFOR, the data from the report of PACE rapporteur Dick Marty, as well as the latest film made in an attempt to blame the illegal trafficking in human organs on Serbs. In his address MP Arsenovic also spoke of Serbia’s EU accession being conditioned by its recognition of Kosovo. Arsenovic appealed to the international community to honour Resolution 1244 and ensure peace in Kosovo-Metohija.

On the behalf of the Socialist Party of Serbia-United Serbia Parliamentary Group MP Dragan Markovic stated that the Parliamentary Group would endorse the Declaration Proposal. Speaking of the events in Kosovo-Metohija he talked of the disregard of Resolution 1244, sufferings of the Serbian people on the territory of Kosovo-Metohija in the last 20 years, as well as the influence of the part of the international community on the current situation. He wanted the representatives of KFOR to know that the Serbs did not burn the border points because of KFOR but out of fear from former UCK members. He urged the MPs to unity deeming that the parliament should support the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the President today so that the Constitution and Resolution 1244 may be complied with.

Head of the New Serbia Parliamentary Group Velimir Ilic expressed regret that the discussion had not taken place sooner so that the EU and UN could be warned on time. He declared the situation in Kosovo-Metohija very difficult stressing that the Government should have addressed the situation sooner and more efficiently and that Serbia should stand united on the Kosovo declaration issue and that all the parties should endorse it and stand behind it. He asked the Government of the Republic of Serbia how EULEX came to be in Kosovo-Metohija since the parliament did not vote on it. He also urged abiding by Resolution 1244 as it is the only thing guaranteeing the safety of Serbs in the north of Kosovo-Metohija. He pointed out that the Government has to submit reports to the National Assembly, ask it to consent to the negotiation platforms, that the MPs should know what was being negotiated. He appealed to the President of Serbia, Prime Minister and ministers to fight for what can be done in Kosovo and not agree to negotiations about a border between Serbia and Kosovo. He sent his support to the Government stressing that the New Serbia Parliamentary Group would unanimously stand behind the Declaration Proposal.

The authorised representative of the Liberal Democratic Party Parliamentary Group Zoran Ostojic said that the Parliamentary Group fully supports a reversal and turnaround in the Kosovo policy which he fails to see in the Declaration Proposal and therefore, although it would want to, it cannot endorse it. He deemed that all the future steps in the Kosovo policy should be an instrument for the realisation of the main goal which is a speedy EU accession and Serbia’s gaining full EU membership. He stated that LDP believes it unacceptable to endanger Serbia’s progress to the EU through reckless moves and requested an answer to why the world thinks that the Serbs have stopped the negotiations and expressed hope that the implied return to the old policy did not mean the beginning of a pre-election campaign. He added that the conflict with the world and Europe and averting one’s eyes from the realities in Kosovo can only be to the detriment of the lives of the citizens and the European perspective and appealed for renewing the negotiations.

MP Slobodan Samardzic, authorised representative of the Democratic Party of Serbia-Vojislav Kostunica Parliamentary Group opined that the events in the north of Kosovo-Metohija have undoubtedly been caused by the unilateral and violent actions of the Albanians and their institutions. The second reason are the contradictory actions of the international community in Kosovo-Metohija, and the third is the policy of the Government who has chosen the global powers which aid the Albanian policy in the region for its allies in the struggle for the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He deemed that the dialogue with Pristina has exacerbated the situation for Serbia which is now worse off than before the negotiations started. He deemed that within the dialogue Serbia is recognising Kosovo-Metohija in stages. He asked whether the National Assembly can pass a compromise document which would acknowledge the different positions, the position of the DPS Parliamentary Group is that the policy must be changed and that this is the last chance for it considering the recent events. In his address he criticised the Declaration Proposal saying that it contained mistakes, oversights, some declarations were copied in it, identifying its status quo as the biggest problem. He urged the parliamentary groups to reach a compromise solution through consultations.

Head of the Forward Serbia Parliamentary Group Tomislav Nikolic criticised the Government representatives who have failed to submit a report that the National Assembly could vote on today. He said that it was not the time to score party points but for Serbia to think where, what and how to proceed. He accused the Government representatives of causing conflicts between the Serbs living in the north of Kosovo-Metohija and those living in the enclaves. He said that he was not sure that the Government representatives had done everything that could have been done in the north of Kosovo-Metohija. He stated that the Declaration Proposal did not envision concrete measures to address the crisis adding that the Serbs should be enabled to cross the administrative crossings in the north of Kosovo-Metohija.

In her speech the authorised representative of the United Regions of Serbia and Together for Sumadija Parliamentary Group Suzana Grubjesic said that by sending its representatives to the north of Kosovo-Metohija, the Government has shown readiness to resolve all, even the most complicated issues, by peaceful and diplomatic means. She thanked Minister Bogdanovic and Head of the Negotiating Team Stefanovic for the activities they had undertaken, and Minister Jeremic for trying to expose the problem at the UN Security Council. The answer to the question why Pristina instituted a blockade on the goods from Serbia and then by sending special forces attempted to take over the administrative crossings would be answered in the upcoming days, opined Grubjesic, adding that Pristina has never made radical moves without at least a tacit assent from their sponsors and mentors. She opined that the conflicting statements made by European officials led to the conclusion that the EU does not have a united position on Kosovo which will remain unchanged as long as there are still member states who have not recognised the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo – Greece, Slovakia, Romania and Spain. Another explanation may be that the EU’s official position is that it supports the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. The URS Parliamentary Group's position is that the dialogue must be resumed, the Serbs are not to blame for the breakdown of the dialogue because it is in the interest of both Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija. She restated that we have no right to abandon either the diplomatic struggle for Kosovo-Metohija or partnership and cooperation with the EU, because only a partnership with the EU can give results which would benefit the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and Serbia as a state.

Dragan Todorovic, Head of the Serbian Radical Party Parliamentary Group pointed out that, if there are objections to the manner the document was proposed, the SRP Parliamentary Group would endorse the Declaration Proposal, as it always did when the interests of the Serbian citizens and the state of Serbia were at stake. Reminding those present of the 2008 request he accused the authorities that by accepting the EULEX mission in Kosovo-Metohija they went outside of the UN framework and placed Serbia’s problems into the hands of the UN with the plan that the mission should help establish all the institutions of the future state of Kosovo. He stated that EULEX is not status neutral, and, criticizing the authorities’ actions, he requested that the authorities ask for an urgent withdrawal of EULEX leaving UNMIK to assume the authority it has according to Resolution 1244.

Head of the Minorities’ Parliamentary Group Balint Pasztor deemed that the manner of today’s debate could only lead to politicizing and that he is sure that the people in Kosovo-Metohija would have no practical benefits from the session and declaration. He deemed it better to hold a National Assembly session closed to the public where the Government and the President of the Republic would report on the real situation in Kosovo-Metohija and the MPs could hear about the Government’s plans and what kind of measures they can expect. He stated that the text of the Declaration Proposal is a 2005, 2006 and 2007 wish list which does not answer the important questions. The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians finds the text of the Declaration unacceptable because it is vague, imprecise, does not state what measures may be expected which is why they will refrain from voting on it the same way they refrained from voting on the previous declarations and resolutions on Kosovo-Metohija.

Independent MP Jovan Damjanovic appealed to the international community which is the guarantor of peace and stability to do all in its power to prevent new violent behaviour and escalation which might result in tragedy. He hopes that an agreement of understanding and peace can be reached, which would result in stability in Kosovo-Metohija.

Nada Kolundzija, Head of the For European Serbia Parliamentary Group said that the reason behind the session were the events following Pristina’s unilateral actions, the ensuing crisis and the National Assembly’s need to discuss the future moves of the Government and institutions of the Republic of Serbia. She stressed that it is unfair to say that the Government tried to shift the responsibility to the National Assembly by this and reminded that the opposition asked for the session. She added that it is important to send a message to the citizens in Kosovo-Metohija that the MPs are committed to peace, that they want stability in the region, that they are for tolerance and favour dialogue. It is also important to send the same message to the international representatives in Kosovo-Metohija because it is important that the dialogue was not stopped by an act of the Republic of Serbia, but the acts coming from Pristina. The session should also send the message that the international community is obligated under Resolution 1244 to foster dialogue and condemn and prevent any unilateral acts endangering dialogue. She again urged the MPs to vote on the Declaration Proposal.

The National Assembly went on to continue the debate on the only item on the agenda in which the following MPs took part: Branko Ruzic, Riza Halimi, Djuro Peric, Nenad Prokic, Stojanka Petkovic, Vladimir Milentijevic, Aleksandar Matrinovic, Zarko Korac, Dragoljub Micunovic, Zeljko Tomic, Dejan Radenkovic, Milos Aligrudic, Zeljko Ivanji, Bozidar Delic, Nenad Canak, Zoran Krasic, Sasa Dujovic, Sasa Milenic, Ljubomir Kragovic, Smiljana Milisavljevic, Boris Aleksic, Dejan Mirovic, Dragisa Djokovic, Aleksandra Jankovic, Miroslav Markicevic and Borislav Pelevic.

In the course of the debate, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic accepted an amendment submitted by the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija resulting from the consolidation of the text of the Declaration Proposal with the amendments proposed after consultation with the heads of the parliamentary groups at the National Assembly.

When there were no more requests from the floor, the MPs were addressed by the President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadic. He stressed that Serbia’s most important task today is to ensure peace. The conflict in Kosovo-Metohija has lasted for decades and it is not just a national, but a regional and global problem as well because it carries numerous dangers and can cause a cascade of conflicts in the world. That is why our responsibility is not just national, but regional and global as well, stressed President Tadic. Speaking of the latest conflicts in Kosovo-Metohija he analysed the situation and activities undertaken by Serbia so far, speaking of the issues of the customs stamp, embargo on Serbian goods on the territory of Kosovo-Metohija, Pristina’s unilateral action, as well as KFOR’s activities. He repeated that Serbia will continue to address the issues in Kosovo-Metohija solely in compliance with