In three days of violence in March 2004, ten Serbs have been killed, 35 churches and monasteries burned and 935 facilities owned by Serbs, 4,012 Serbs expelled from six towns and nine villages in Kosovo.

Precisely that was one of the main arguments of Serbia why Pristina does not deserve membership in UNESCO.

Political leadership in Pristina considers that it has lost just one battle but not the war, and in two years Kosovo will, better prepared and with a stronger international lobbying, again apply for membership in the United Nations agency that deals with the protection of cultural heritage in the world.

Head of the Pec District Vinka Radosavljevic said that the international community should do everything to protect Serbs living in the region of Pec, in Kosovo. Radosavljevic strongly condemned the burning of another Serbian house in village Siga, near Pec, which is owned by a Serb, pointing out that no one was injured only thanks to the fact that no one was in the house.

The refusal of the General Assembly of UNESCO to accept Kosovo membership confirmed the commitment of that organization to the principles of international law stipulated by the UN SC Resolution 1244.

Kosovo, which is still controlled by the UN, cannot be considered a legal state and therefore cannot aspire to membership in international institutions, and consequently to UNESCO, was said in a statement of the ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Attempts to allow Kosovo's membership in UNESCO leads to the politicization of the activities of the organization, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, after a meeting with the General Director of UNESCO Irina Bokova. "With all the complexity of international life, it is important to avoid politicization of UNESCO activities. That’s how we see now the situation related to the attempt to allow Kosovo's membership in the organization, violating in such a way the UN Resolution 1244," said Lavrov, as reported by TASS.

In regards to the statement of the South Mitrovica mayor, Agim Bahtiri, who proposed the abolition of municipality with Serbian majority- Mitrovica North in order to "prevent the ethnic cleansing of Albanians," mayor of Mitrovica North Goran Rakic says that Bahtiri is trying to cover up his own failure.

“Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic makes every effort to prevent the membership of Kosovo in UNESCO. The efforts also include lobbying for the support to the Serbian proposal that this issue will be removed from the agenda,” stated advisors to the president, Stanislava Pak and Ivan Mrkić. As stated, president Nikolic initiated the campaign as soon he learned about the attempts.  For three months during his talks with heads of states and ambassadors, president emphasized the unacceptability of Kosovo's membership in UNESCO.

President of the Higher Council for Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Saudi Arabia, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, said that he will transfer the position of the Government of Serbia, which opposes Kosovo's membership to UNESKO, in appropriate manner.  "Issues related to Kosovo and UNESCO fall within the jurisdiction of other ministry in Saudi Arabia, and I will not talk about it during this visit. That's what I talked with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic," said Al Saud.

We have come to the stage of the trial where we finished interrogation of the prosecution witnesses, and that's what we have long hoped for, to stop stalling of the process, said Nebojsa Vlajic, lawyer of the CI SDP leader Oliver Ivanovic.

"Of the 55 prosecution witnesses, none of them have directly accused Oliver Ivanovic, for anything that is related to the subject of the indictment," said Vlajic.

"This is the last opportunity, if Kosovo is definitely received into the UNESCO, to sign a written bilateral agreement with Pristina," said Borislav Stefanovic to Danas, the former Serbian negotiator in the technical dialogue with Pristina.

Stefanovic also said that, after the recommendation of the Executive Board of UNESCO, it should be negotiated with Pristina calmly and cool-headed on the regulation of many issues, including the protection of churches and monasteries, property, the position of Serbs in Kosovo.