Belgrade, Oct 23, 2007 – Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica met with Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema and on this occasion called upon Italy to respect obligations under the UN SC Resolution 1244, which guarantees the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yugoslavia.

Kostunica recommended that in case Kosovo declares independence following December 10, Rome should refrain from recognizing this act.

Kostunica warned in the talks that the stability and prosperity of the region cannot be built on the “act of seizing Serbian territory”. He said that “there is only one example of seizure of the territory of a sovereign state in Europe, where the territorial integrity of former Czechoslovakia was violated through the Munich Agreement and that precedent very soon had repercussions around the world”.

Resolution 1244 guarantees the sovereignty of Yugoslavia; nowhere does it mention integrity of Serbia. With the referendum of Montenegro, Yugoslavia ceased to exist; therefore that paragraph of resolution 1244 is null and void.

In 1992, the Kosovo parliament organized a referendum, observed by international organizations. However, until now, the results were not recognized internationally. This referendum saw a 98% vote of the Kosovo Albanian majority and other non-Serb minorities for independence.