Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 8, 2007

THE ASSISTANT OF THE US SECRETARY OF STATE
VISITED MONASTERY VOSOKI DECHANI

The assistant to the US Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Daniel Freed, together with the head of the American office in Pristina, visited Monastery Decani today and spent two hours in talks with the Abbot of the monastery, His Grace Bishop Teodosije and Protosindjel Sava Janjic.

The assistant to Condoleeza Rice spent the previous day in Belgrade in talks with the highest state representative in Serbia, President Tadic and Premier Kostunica as well as the representatives of the Serbian municipalities of north Kosovo and Metohija. This morning Freed had a meeting with the political representatives of the Kosovo Albanians in Pristina.

After visiting the church, in a talk at the monastery library Mr. Freed said that it was his goal to convey the message of the US Administration that it is in the long-term interest of the US to fully protect the Serbian people and their spiritual and cultural inheritance in Kosovo and Metohija after the resolution of the status of Kosovo and Metohija and to make possible a peaceful and honorable life and future to the Serbs and their holy sites. “The International Community will stay in Kosovo, the KFOR will stay, and we, the Americans, will stay. Be reassured, your Grace,” said Freed, “that we desire your people, your beautiful churches and monasteries to remain preserved for the future. I have repeated a number of times,” said Freed, “that we desire to preserve ‘Serbianism’ in Kosovo, and this is not only a people but also your historical and cultural existence” (Freed said the word “Serbianism” in the Serbian dialect as he worked at the US Embassy in Belgrade and has an excellent understanding of the Serbian language).

Bishop Teodosije thanked the high officials of the US Administration for their visit to monastery Visoki Dechani and for the care which the US, through the American office, has shown at this moment “which is filled with so much uncertainty for all of us”. The bishop, in continuing his greeting to Mr. Freed, explained the deep concern for the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. “Many important measures of protection are foreseen but we have seen that even with the presence of the international community in the past years a very small number of Serbs returning to Kosovo and the violence against Serbs has continued. We would not like a society built here for only one, Albanian community, but that Kosovo be home for all citizens.” The bishop mentioned that besides the success in renovating some of the destroyed holy sites, the desecration of Serbian churches has continued, mentioning the recent occurrence of the desecration of the St. John the Forerunner Church in Pec. “The Church is made up not only of holy sites but also it’s faithful people and the remainder of the inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija should not be given only a long-term institutionalized protection and security, but comfort to the refugees that they return to their homes. This unfortunately is not going in an anticipated fashion and we all need to invest all the more effort, and so we count on the support and specific help from the US.”

Bishop Teodosije and Mr. Freed talked also about Anesco and the protection of Serbian spiritual and cultural inheritance in Kosovo and Metohija, since His Grace Bishop Teodosije recently took part in the negotiations in Vienna, in conjunction with the Serbian negotiating team. Mr. Freed pointed out that for the US it is very important that Serbs received adequate protection and that “monuments such as Dechani and others be preserved for future generations.” Bishop Teodosije expressed his firm conviction that he will take the need of the people into consideration, despite the duration of continued negotiations and resolutions of the status of the vital interests of the Church and her faithful people. The protection of the people and the holy sites is not only a question of the status, even though on the other hand it absolutely depends on the resolution of this question of which the Serbian Church has on numerous occasions given official statements and communiques.

Protosindjel Sava acquainted Mr. Freed with the specific problems in protecting the Serbian holy sites and the problems in cooperation with the local municipalities. “We are honestly worried how the measures of protection of the people and the holy sites, especially in larger Albanian areas, will be implemented if the local institutions do not show a greater level of responsibility and concern for the Serbian populace, their monuments and identity, as well as the minorities of Kosovo.” Mr. Freed said that in implementing the measures of protection, as the main part of Ahtisari’s resolution pointed out, the international community needs to have a long-term and strong participation and that this serious question not be left solely to the local institutions. “The future of this region is in Europe and resolving it’s status is only the beginning of a long process, a road to Europe,” stated Freed.

“Of course, it remains to be seen how the negotiations will continue since the international presence in Kosovo depends on the UN resolutions which would need to allow a new vision of international engagement,” said Daniel Freed.

Following the talk Daniel Freed and Bishop Teodosije gave their statements for KiM Radio, Glas Juga and Radio Gorazdevac.

www.kosovo.net