As the possibility of self proclaimed independence of the southern Serbian province of Kosovo & Metohija becomes increasingly likely, the Serbian Council of Great Britain, the organisation representing Serbs living in Britain, strongly opposes any declaration of independence of the province. We feel that such a move would represent a direct violation of the international law (namely the UN Resolution 1244), and set a dangerous precedent which could provoke the call for independence in other multinational states in the Balkans, most notably Macedonia and Bosnia and in other parts of the world. Any destabilization in the region would require an increase in peacekeeping troops, placing increased pressure on British troops, at the very time when Britain's military is already severely overstretched. Britain and other European nations have a strong interest in preserving the integrity of Serbia.

Over the last 8 years Serbia has been resolute in treading the path of democratic reforms in line with EU requirements. The future of these reforms and Serbia's integration into the European family will be jeopardized if the international community and EU support the illegal amputation of 15% of her territory.

We support the voices within the international community who oppose Kosovo's independence and we hope that the current crisis will be resolved by further negotiations which will result in an outcome which will be acceptable to all sides.


London 15.02.2008