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Yugoslav President Insists on Return of Refugees to Kosovo
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said in Paris on Thursday, December 21, that the Serb refugees who have fled Kosovo during the NATO campaign against Yugoslavia last year must be allowed to return home if one wants to restore peace there.
In a statement to the press after meeting with French President Jacques Chirac, Kostunica said that the only thing to guarantee peace in the Balkans is to keep the existing frontiers, support the democratic changes in former Yugoslav countries, respect the right of ethnic minorities, and establish self-rule and decentralization among different ethnic groups.
He expressed optimism about the perspective of peace and stability in the Balkans, because he said the Balkans want no more war.
"There are enough devices for having peace and stability in the Balkans. The Balkans are tired of wars," he said.
During his talks with Chirac, Kostunica also raised the possibility of establishing a "commission of truth and reconciliation" in former Yugoslav countries according to the model worked out by South Africa after the end of Apartheid rule, according to French presidential spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.
He also agreed to consider upgrading cooperation between Yugoslavia and the International Tribunal in the Hague which is in charge of trying war criminals in former Yugoslav countries, the spokeswoman said.
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