This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BELGRADE 000256 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SR YI
SUBJECT: SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH PRINCIPLES FOR KOSOVO 
STATUS NEGOTIATIONS 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.(U) Following is the text of a document released by the 
Serbian Orthodox Church outlining its principles for the 
ongoing negotiations over the future status of Kosovo.  The 
document was adopted by the Holy Synod of Bishops based 
upon decisions taken by the yearly Assembly of Bishops 
which met in November 2005.  Disagreement among members of 
the SOC Council for Kosovo over the text has held up its 
release until now.  The document outlines in general terms 
the Church's support for the Serbian negotiating team for 
Kosovo, supports "a special form of decentralization 
enabling the effective protection of the vital interests of 
the Serbian people," in line with the Serbian government 
and President Tadic's plans, calls for the restitution of 
church property confiscated by the state after 1945, and 
seeks international protection for living monastic 
communities.  In addition, the document seeks the 
protection of the full rights of the SOC over its property 
in Kosovo, unhindered communication with the SOC, and the 
recognition of cultural monuments as the "Serbian cultural 
heritage of Kosovo and Metohija.  A delegation of senior 
SOC clerics plans to visit Washington the latter half of 
March (septel).  Text of the document follows.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.(U) BEGIN TEXT OF DOCUMENT 
 
Taking into account the decisions from this years autumn 
session of the SOC Holy Assembly of Bishops (November 1-4, 
2005), the Holy Synod of Bishops and the Council for Kosovo 
and Metohija of the Holy Assembly of Bishops hereby define 
the following with regard to forthcoming talks on the 
future status of Kosovo and Metohija. 
 
BASIC PRINCIPLES of the SOC Holy Synod of Bishops and the 
Council for Kosovo and Metohija of the Holy Assembly of 
Bishops with regard to forthcoming talks on the future 
status of Kosovo and Metohija: 
 
¶1. In the process of resolving the future status of Kosovo 
and Metohija the Serbian Orthodox Church, her faithful and 
her Holy Shrines in the Province should be provided with 
adequate protection and a free life in accordance with 
basic principles of religious freedom and human rights 
generally accepted in the democratic world. 
 
¶2. The position of the Serbian community in Kosovo and 
Metohija should be regulated by a special form of 
decentralization enabling the effective protection of the 
vital interests of the Serbian people, especially in the 
areas of education, culture, media, health and social 
policy, economic and property issues, local police and 
judiciary. It is especially important to ensure the return 
of Serb refugees, their secure living conditions and 
lasting survival. Toward this end, the Serbian Orthodox 
Church gives its wholehearted support to the Negotiation 
Team on the future status of Kosovo and Metohija, which 
will represent the interests of the Serbian people and 
state. 
 
¶3. In addition to fundamental interest in the 
institutional, legal and property protection of the Serbian 
people in Kosovo and Metohija, the Church is also vitally 
interested in the long-term protection of her holy shrines: 
monasteries, churches, property and cultural patrimony. For 
centuries, these Holy Shrines have been and remain the 
faithful guardians and witnesses of the spiritual and 
cultural identity of the Serbian people in the Province and 
as such they must be preserved for the future by being 
given a special position (status) within the framework of 
the future, comprehensive solution for Kosovo and Metohija. 
It is important to protect specific Holy Sites not only as 
cultural and religious monuments but also as living 
communities of a living people. 
 
¶4. In cooperation with relevant experts, during the talks 
it is necessary to define concrete models that would ensure 
the Serbian Orthodox Church, whose spiritual seat is the 
Pec Patriarchate, and its local Diocese of Raska-Prizren 
and Kosovo-Metohija with full internal autonomy, free 
pastoral and missionary work with its faithful, protection 
of property and other rights, protection of proper names 
and identity, and unobstructed communication with the 
canonic and administrative seat of the SOC in Belgrade. In 
this respect, it is very important that within the future 
Law on Religious Freedoms in Kosovo and Metohija the SOC is 
provided with full rights in accordance with the UN Charter 
and other relevant international acts on the protection of 
human and religious rights and freedoms. 
 
¶5. It is also necessary to ensure special, internationally 
guaranteed status and models for lasting protection of the 
living Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija 
by creating appropriate protective zones around 
monasteries, with the presence of international military 
forces wherever and for as long as necessary. In addition 
to the protective zones, it is necessary to provide special 
guarantees for the free, spiritually and physically 
unobstructed life and work of monastic communities, 
unhindered access for the faithful and for pilgrims, as 
well as appropriate customs, tax and other benefits 
enabling the economic sustenance of these communities, 
which support themselves by their work. The form and scope 
of protective zones would depend on their significance and 
on the fact whether a monastery is located in a part of the 
Province inhabited by an Albanian or a Serbian majority. 
 
¶6. The complete arrangement for protection of institutions, 
sites and patrimony of the Serbian Orthodox Church should 
be under the special monitoring of the International 
Community, in full coordination with the Government of 
Serbia, Kosovo provincial institutions and UNESCO, which 
would ensure the sustainability of protective mechanisms 
within the framework of the international civil presence in 
Kosovo. This institution would concern itself with current 
issues and arbitration in the event agreed-upon principles 
are not honored. It would maintain ties with international 
factors, police and municipal authorities. Participation in 
this process should include appropriate experts from 
Belgrade and Pristina and experts of the Serbian Orthodox 
Church, as well as representatives of the International 
Community. 
 
¶7. At the same time, in accordance with Resolution 1244, 
Annex 2, Item 6, it is necessary to enable the unobstructed 
engagement of experts of the Ministry of Culture from 
Belgrade and the Serbian Institute for the Protection of 
Cultural Monuments, who have already worked on the 
protection of Serbian spiritual, cultural and historical 
patrimony in Kosovo and Metohija in the past, and who 
possess complete documentation and specialized experience. 
The engagement of experts from Belgrade would also be 
realized in cooperation with representatives of local 
Kosovo institutions under the unique auspices of the EU. 
The eventual transfer of jurisdiction over the SOC cultural 
patrimony in Kosovo and Metohija to Kosovo institutions is 
unacceptable because the local Kosovo Ministry of Culture 
lacks the expertise for this jurisdiction and is inadequate 
to guarantee and ensure the protection of the identity and 
purpose of these Holy Shrines. 
 
¶8. The resolution of the future status of Kosovo and 
Metohija should enable the complete restoration of all 
Orthodox churches and monasteries that have been destroyed 
or damaged since 1999, their return into liturgical 
function, the full protection for the property of the SOC, 
as well as special guarantees intended to make it possible 
for the SOC and other religious communities to ensure the 
restitution of property illegally confiscated after World 
War II in accordance with special legislation to be passed 
in accordance with European standards. 
 
¶9. The resolution of the future status of Kosovo and 
Metohija should include special provisions protecting the 
identity, the historical and spiritual origin and the 
patrimony of the Serbian people. Even though our patrimony 
is physically located in Kosovo and Metohija, nevertheless 
it cannot be called the cultural patrimony of Kosovo but 
the Serbian cultural patrimony of Kosovo and Metohija (just 
as there is Albanian, Roma and Ottoman patrimony in Kosovo 
and Metohija). The imposition of a collective identity to 
this cultural patrimony represents a threat to the survival 
of Serbian cultural patrimony and to our people as a whole, 
as well as a change in the identity of Christian 
civilization in the Province. 
 
¶10. The views of the Serbian Orthodox Church are completely 
complementary with the Plan of the Government of Serbia for 
Kosovo and Metohija, and with the most recent plan of 
President Tadic regarding the two-entity reorganization of 
the Province as a part of Serbia. The SOC Holy Synod of 
Bishops has taken the view at its most recent session in 
November 2005 that the issue of the future status of the 
Province must be resolved in accordance with international 
principles on the inviolability of sovereignty and 
integrity of democratic states, including Serbia and 
Montenegro. The future solution for Kosovo and Metohija 
must take into account the interests of all citizens which 
live there and must be such that it does not destabilize 
the situation in the region, which after years of war and 
suffering needs peace, reconciliation, cooperation, 
spiritual, moral, economic and all other forms of progress. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
MOORE