Milivojevic: The West is trying to undermine UN Resolution 1244, but it is still in force

From day one, the West has ignored UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and the attempt to impose the Ohrid Agreement on Serbia as binding is a way to undermine it, however, yesterday's prevention of the Kosovo Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, from entering the municipality building in Leposavic by KFOR is evidence that the Resolution is still in force, former diplomat Zoran Milivojevic said in an interview with Kosovo Online.

"Resolution 1244 is still in force and represents the fundamental international legal decision of a binding nature, establishing the status of Kosovo and Metohija as a UN protectorate within Serbia. It continues to bind UN member states until a new decision is made by the UN Security Council regarding Kosovo and Metohija. The presence of UNMIK as the UN civilian administration and KFOR as the military component of that administration, responsible for peace and security, proves that. Yesterday, when KFOR prevented the Minister from Pristina from entering the municipality of Leposavic, they invoked the Resolution as an unquestionable legal basis," Milivojevic said.

He reminded that Resolution 1244 had been adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which pertains to international peace and security and carries the highest possible political and legal weight.

"The West disputes this due to its attempt to pursue geopolitical goals that were set through the illegal aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999 and to confirm the statehood of Kosovo contrary to international law. Therefore, the Resolution is indestructible as long as the UN and the valid international order exist. As long as it exists, there can be no status solution for Kosovo and Metohija without the UN Security Council. The Resolution is the basis for resolving the status issue of Kosovo and Metohija and cannot be ignored or excluded. The status cannot be resolved through any legal or legal-political negation of the Resolution or by sidelining it, but exclusively based on it. Imposing a solution by force or removing the Resolution is impossible and unsustainable," Milivojevic emphasized.

He noted that from day one, the West had ignored the provisions of Resolution 1244 that speak of the presence of 1,000 representatives of Serbian authorities and security forces in Kosovo, and instead, they were attempting to impose a solution by force.

"Especially during the self-declaration of Kosovo's independence, aiming to evade all consequences of their illegal behavior and aggression. Now, they are trying to do that by imposing a solution based on some bilateral agreement between Serbia and 'Kosovo,' which would question the validity of the Resolution and align with the de facto recognition of Kosovo's statehood, thereby undermining the Resolution. This is being attempted through the so-called Ohrid Agreement in the form of a binding bilateral agreement between two states, which is unacceptable for Serbia, and it is unthinkable for Serbia to accept," Milivojevic highlighted.

He reminded that, despite such efforts, Resolution 1244 is fully in force and binding, and that the status of Kosovo and Metohija cannot be resolved without it and the UN Security Council.

Milivojevic stated that the calls by some in the opposition to declare the occupation of Kosovo are completely wrong because it would mean that Serbia itself excludes UNMIK and KFOR.

"Kosovo and Metohija is not occupied but is under the UN mandate, and the guarantees of that are UNMIK and KFOR, and we insist that they fulfill their mandate. For Kurti, it is an occupation because as long as UNMIK and KFOR are there, Pristina does not have international legal sovereignty but is an international legal protectorate," Milivojevic explained.

UN Security Council Resolution 1244 was adopted on this day 24 years ago.