WE WILL FIGHT FOR KOSOVO FOR AS LONG AS WE LIVE - SERBIAN RADICALS' DEPUTY HEAD
BBC Monitoring International Reports - February 17, 2008, Sunday

Excerpt from report by Serbian public broadcaster RTS TV,

[Serbian Radical Party deputy chairman Tomislav Nikolic] Ladies and gentlemen of the press, esteemed Serbian citizens, these are difficult moments for Serbia. We have been counting time in two ways in Serbia up till now [in line with the old Russian church calendar and the Western calendar], and it must be counted in a third way as of today [17 February]. We will have to divide the calendar into the period before 17 February 2008 and between 17 February and the day when we will return Kosovo-Metohija to Serbia.

Everything is completely clear now. [Kosovo] Albanians, with the consent of the USA and many European Union [EU] members, have taken the dangerous path called independence, [they created] an independent state. Our state must be prepared for many challenges, many provocations, and that is why today, on behalf of at least one half of Serbia, the opposition half, I say - yes, we oppose the Serbian regime, but we do not oppose Serbia.

I appeal to President [Boris Tadic] and Prime Minister [Vojislav Kostunica] to start working immediately -diplomatically, politically, on the domestic political scene, in every possible way, to show Serbian citizens that we have not accepted the secession, that we will not come to terms with it and that we will do everything we can for the so-called independence of Kosovo-Metohija to be annulled. That is why I appeal to them to hold an emergency session, to pass a decision which would oblige us all to behave in a certain way in future. I especially appeal to them not to appeal to us to behave in a peaceful, sensible manner, but to channel both the anxiousness and the rage which is in the heart of every Serbian citizen, [I appeal to them] for us to organize a big, enormous rally, with which we shall amaze the whole world, with which we shall show it to the whole world what kind of a state and what kind of people we are, and also how much we care about independence and freedom.

I will wait for them until Thursday [21 February], and the Serbian Radical Party will organize a rally on Thursday, if they are not ashamed to let that happen.

I want to tell the Serbian citizens currently living in Kosovo-Metohija that they will never be left stranded, that no-one in Serbia must do that, however the people in power are called.

[Passage omitted: more on Serbia's friends and enemies in the world]

[Nikolic] For as long as we live, for as long as there are Serbian citizens, for as long as our children live, weshall fight for Kosovo-Metohija, fight in all possible ways and by all possible means.

[Passage omitted: more on the same]

Source: RTS1 TV, Belgrade, in Serbian 1650gmt 17 Feb 08

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