The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia (MFA) stated that still there is no official confirmation from UNESCO that it received a request for the admission of Kosovo into this organization. In case Serbia receives confirmation that such a request was made, Serbia will use all available diplomatic means to prevent Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO, considering the unacceptability of the request from the legal, political and cultural point of view.
Officials of the Serbian MFA say that they will continue activities aimed at ensuring full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1244. “Any consideration of the request for admission of Kosovo to UNESCO would not only constitute a violation of the Resolution 1244, but would also have an extremely negative impact on the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina,” reads the response of the Serbian MFA.
Kosovo has so far become a member of the International Olympic Committee, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and since 2006 under the name of UNMIK-Kosovo became a member of CEFTA (the Agreement on free trade in Central Europe). The request for joining the Partnership for Peace Pristina has sent in 2012.
At the 35th regular annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO in Paris, in 2011, was prevented the attempt that four great cultural goods – the Patriarchate of Pec and the Monasteries Visoki Decani, Gracanica and Bogorodica Ljeviska in Prizren become so called “Medieval Monuments in Kosovo”, contrary to the current name “Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (Serbia).” The former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that because of that intent was held “real diplomatic war that lasted 72 hours.” Such renaming was proposal of France, Switzerland and Sweden. Serbia, however, then received support from ten countries: Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, Mali, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mexico, Thailand and Cambodia.
The forerunner of all these diplomatic clashes took place at the meeting of the Committee of UNESCO, in 2008, which was held in Quebec. At that meeting was adopted the Draft decision on the state of conservation of medieval monuments in Kosovo (Serbia). Ambassador of Serbia to UNESCO from 2009 to 2013, Zorica Tomic, said that putting the name Serbia in parentheses is the “symbolic castration”. This term was used in the talk with David Killion, US Ambassador to UNESCO, when in February 2010 Ambassador Tomic sent letters to Killian’s superiors, as disclosed by the “Wikileaks”. Killion in dispatches stated, inter alia, that Tomic stated that her priority would be persuading Member States of UNESCO “not to cast any doubt related to the Serbia’s requirements over Kosovo.”
“That will probably be successful action because, according to findings of the US mission, Serbia has some support in UNESCO. Although the new Director-General of UNESCO is from Bulgaria, a country that has recognized Kosovo, we have learned that many members of the Secretariat at lower positions remain inclined to Belgrade,” stated Killion.
“The new UNESCO Director-General from Bulgaria”, the Killian spoke about, is Irina Bokova, who in the meantime won a second term at the helm of this organization. She is also one of the candidates for the successor of Ban Ki-moon, and according to the diplomatic sources, she has strong support from the Americans. Therefore, it is sure that she will help Kosovo’s membership, which for the United States would present sort of equalization of account, since they were defeated when Palestine was admitted to UNESCO in 2011. The US and Israel have been against that decision, which was an important precedent, because Palestine is not a member of the UN (although has the status of observer). Now, however, it is expected that Washington and Tel Aviv will not be on the same side and that Israel, which does not recognize Kosovo, represent the position of Serbia. Otherwise, both countries protested over UNESCO decision related to Palestine and ceased payment of “membership fee” to UNESCO (the United States paid 80 million dollars a year, which makes 22 per cent of UNESCO budget). As a consequence both countries had lost the right of vote in UNESCO.
Drecun: Pristina “meets” the requirements because of burnt Orthodox Churches
Milovan Drecun, President of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, ironically stated that Kosovo “fulfils” all the conditions for membership in UNESCO, because hundreds of Orthodox churches and monasteries that were destroyed, desecrated, burnt, plundered, qualify them for it. It would be the final time, stated Drecun, that serious parts of the international community stop dealing with the silliness coming from Pristina. “I am sure that all available diplomatic resources will be put into operation that something like that does not happen. Although, in the UN is such a situation that the one who has the bigger cudgel often impose positions,” added Drecun.
Stefanovic: For Kosovo, UNESCO membership is a matter of prestige
Explaining why UNESCO is essential for Pristina, Borislav Stefanovic, a member of the Serbian Committee for Kosovo and Metohija and former chief negotiator with Pristina, said that they want to get valorisation of their independence. In particular, organizations that have the prefix UN or connection with the United Nations are attractive for Kosovo, since they have a global character.
