United Nations S/ PV.8427 Security Council Provisional Seventy-third year 8427th meeting Monday, 17 December 2018, 3 p.m. New York President: Mr. Adom ..................................... (Côte d’Ivoire) Members: Bolivia (Plurinational State of) ..................... Mrs. Cordova Soria China ......................................... Mr. Ma Zhaoxu Equatorial Guinea ............................... Mr. Edjang Nnaga Ethiopia ....................................... Mr. Amde France ........................................ Mr. Delattre Kazakhstan .................................... Mr. Umarov Kuwait ........................................ Mr. Alotaibi Netherlands .................................... Mr. Van Oosterom Peru .......................................... Mr. Meza-Cuadra Poland ........................................ Ms. Wronecka Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Nebenzia Sweden ....................................... Mr. Skoog United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Ms. Pierce United States of America .......................... Mr. Hunter Agenda Security Council resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998), 1203 (1998), 1239 (1999) and 1244 (1999) Letter dated 14 December 2018 from the Permanent Representative of Serbia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2018/1111) . This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 18-44297 (E) *1844297* S/PV.8427 Kosovo 17/12/2018 The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m. increase in the tariff on goods imported from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina from 10 to 100 per cent. In Adoption of the agenda response, the mayors of the four Kosovo Serb-majority municipalities of northern Kosovo announced their The agenda was adopted. resignations and the decision of the respective municipal assemblies to cease all official communication with the Security Council resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 Pristina authorities. The main Kosovo Serb political (1998), 1203 (1998), 1239 (1999) and 1244 (1999) party — the Serbian List — has organized daily Letter dated 14 December 2018 from the protests, centred in North Mitrovica, that have at times Permanent Representative of Serbia to the involved up to 5,000 people. United Nations addressed to the President of Belgrade, for its part, stated that Pristina had the Security Council (S/2018/1111) violated the Central European Free Trade Agreement The President (spoke in French): In accordance and stressed that it would resume its involvement in with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of the European Union (EU)-facilitated dialogue only procedure, I invite the representative of Serbia to once Pristina revokes the import tax. Key international participate in this meeting. partners, including the European Union, also urged the Government of Kosovo to revoke the tax, while On behalf of the Council, I welcome His Excellency in Pristina Special Representative of the Secretary- Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of General Tanin issued a statement expressing concern Serbia, and request the Protocol Officer to escort him about the potential impact of the decision on the to his seat at the Council table. population of Kosovo and on the normalization of Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Serbia, was escorted to a seat at the Council table. Amid the tense atmosphere, the Assembly of The President (spoke in French): In accordance Kosovo adopted on 14 December three laws, namely, with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of the law on the Kosovo Security Force; the law on procedure, I invite Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under- service in the Kosovo Security Force; and the law Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, to on the Ministry of Defence. The laws do not change participate in this meeting. the name of the Kosovo Security Force, which would require a constitutional amendment, yet they provide In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s for substantial changes to be implemented over a provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Hashim period of time to the mandate, role and strength of the Thaçi to participate in this meeting. Kosovo Security Force. The Kosovo Government, in The Security Council will now begin its consideration a statement issued following the adoption of the laws, of the item on its agenda. underscored the right of Kosovo to have “an army; a multi-ethnic and professional force built under the I wish to draw the attention of Council members highest NATO standards”. In Belgrade, the Serbian to document S/2018/1111, which contains a letter dated authorities condemned the adoption of the laws as 14 December 2018 from the Permanent Representative an act of “political aggression” against Serbia and a of Serbia to the United Nations addressed to the violation of resolution 1244 (1999). They also called on President of the Security Council. the Kosovo Force (KFOR) not to allow the operation of I now give the floor to Mr. Lacroix. any Kosovo army on the territory of Kosovo. Mr. Lacroix: Since the Special Representative of Among international partners, the Secretary- the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (NATO) declared that the transition of the Kosovo briefed the Security Council on 14 November (see Security Force is, in principle, a matter for Kosovo S/PV.8399), a number of developments in Kosovo have to decide upon. He nevertheless expressed regret at heightened tensions between Belgrade and Pristina. the decision of the Assembly of Kosovo, which he On 21 November, following Kosovo’s failed bid to join characterized as ill-timed and in disregard of the INTERPOL, the Government of Kosovo announced an concerns previously raised by NATO. He also stressed 2/20 18-44297 17/12/2018 Kosovo S/PV.8427 the continued commitment of NATO, through KFOR, to President Vučić: I am profoundly grateful to the a safe and secure environment in Kosovo. The European Council for convening this meeting at such short notice. External Action Service stated that the mandate of the We think that it was very important and very right to Kosovo Security Force should be changed only through do so, owing to the terribly difficult situation on the an inclusive and gradual process, in accordance with ground that has led to us face more and more difficulties Kosovo’s Constitution, and expressed the expectation in the area of Kosovo and Metohija. I have to say that of the European Union that Kosovo would continue I am very worried, concerned about and even a bit to uphold its obligations under the First Agreement of afraid of and for the future not only of my people and Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations of our country, Serbia, but of the entire region. I listened April 2013 and its security arrangements. very carefully to Under-Secretary-General Lacroix and I would like to say something different than what he The Secretary-General has noted with concern said, although I agree with many of the things that he the adoption of the laws by the Assembly of Kosovo. expressed. He underscored that resolution 1244 (1999) provides the sole legal framework for the international security First of all, I would like to tell the Council that presence, the Kosovo Force, which is entrusted with the Serbia has invested huge efforts and great endeavour responsibility of ensuring a safe and secure environment in maintaining the peace, tranquillity and stability in Kosovo and that “any restriction to the discharge of the entire region of the Western Balkans. We have by KFOR of its security responsibilities would be done everything that we could have done, refraining inconsistent with that resolution.” The Secretary- from responding to different types of provocation General has called on all parties concerned to exercise from Pristina. We have always been very restrained restraint and to refrain from actions that could raise and we do not accept the kind of phrase that has tensions and cause a further setback in the European become customary when two sides are called upon to Union-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of do something or not to do something. Serbia has done relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Special almost everything in its power to implement everything Representative Tanin issued a similar statement in that has been agreed so far. Pristina. As the Council members knows, we signed the First The recent developments in Kosovo have further Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization deteriorated relations between Belgrade and Pristina, of Relations between Belgrade and Pristina in April which have been strained for some time, with no progress 2013. Serbia has fulfilled all of its obligations under on the EU-facilitated dialogue. We are concerned by the the Agreement. We made a lot of concessions and it risk of tensions on the ground, particularly