Posted on 06/30/2009 6:43:54 AM PDT by Ravnagora
Kosovo is a Sacred Serbian Land
“620 years since the fateful Battle of Kosovo, we have gathered here to honor our glorious ancestors who have laid down their lives so we can live in Kosovo and Metohija today. They knew why the Kosovo Battle was fought, they knew what were they defending and whom were they defending.
“We today also know why have we gathered here: to pray to the Lord and to say that Kosovo is a sacred Serbian land, drenched in blood, tears and sweat of our forefathers. Kosovo was, is and will be the heart of Serbia, just as it was 620 years ago,” Bishop Artemije of Rashka-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija Diocese of Serbian Orthodox Church said in his address to tens of thousands of Serbs gathered at a memorial service to the fallen Kosovo heroes, held annually in Gracanica and Gazimestan on Vidovdan, in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo.
After the Holy Liturgy, which Bishop Artemije served with the assistance of Metropolitan Amfilohije and all the clergy of Kosovo-Metohija Diocese, before the Serbs gathered from all parts of Kosovo province, as well as those who have come from other Serbian regions, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and elsewhere, Kosovo-Metohija first hierarch reminded of the significance Vidovdan has for Serbs.
“Battle which begun in 1389 has not been over yet. In fact, it is becoming more fierce in our time and its end is still nowhere on the horizon. This is also the 10th Vidovdan we are greeting in extremely difficult conditions, separated and fenced off from Mother Serbia. Our nation is accustomed to adversity, so it endures this present suffering equally heroically, courageously, with faith in God and hope in the resurrection of our kin and state in these parts. For as long as we are in Kosovo and Metohija, Kosovo will be and will remain Serbian,” His Grace Artemije said.
You Can Take Serbs Out of Kosovo, But You Can Never Take Kosovo Out of Serbs
Many were coming to Gazimestan on foot, like the students and youth gathered around the movement “1389", who organize a Vidovdan March each year, starting from Serbian capital, Belgrade. Vidovdan 2009, Gazimestan.
Serbia’s Kosovo and Metohija Minister Goran Bogdanovic, who attended Vidovdan commemoration along with Minister of Culture Nebojša Bradich, Serbian President’s adviser for Kosovo province Mladan Georgevich and Oliver Ivanovich, State Secretary in Kosovo-Metohija Ministry, said that “we are faced with a situation in which one ethnic community is undesirable, while another ethnic community openly works against the interest of the other nations who live in the same region”.
According to Chaslav Bojovich, President of the Vidovdan Association based in Kosovo province, “Serbs can have their land, homes and farms seized, they can be persecuted and killed, but that which is sacred can never be taken away from them”.
He said that Kosovo Serbs are heartened and encouraged by the great presence of young people who have come to mark Serbian greatest national holiday with them.
Peter Handke, Bearer of St. King Lazar’s Golden Cross
According to the information service of the Priština Town Assembly, this year’s Golden Cross of St. King Lazar, a highest honor awarded in Gracanica within the traditional manifestation “Vidovdan Poetry Communion” was granted to the outstanding Austrian novelist and playwright Peter Handke, the first writer outside the Serbian artistic and cultural realm to carry this recognition.
Serbian media reported that Peter Handke expressed great pleasure at the decision to become a bearer of St. Lazar’s Cross and said he would come to Gracanica in fall to personally receive the honor, awarded for the greatest contribution to Serbian literature, culture and spirituality.
Serbian Bikers Lend Their Support with an Uproar
Observers and reporters have noted this year’s Vidovdan commemoration gathered the greatest number of people since 1999. Amid the tightest security by the KFOR troops, visitors to Gracanica and Gazimestan were arriving in endless columns of buses and cars throughout the day, with license plates from all parts of the country, but also from the neighboring states and further abroad.
A huge bikers’ convoy, the biggest that ever roared through Serbia, aroused a special interest.
This is the third year in a row Belgrade Harley-Davidson Club organized a Vidovdan “Bike Rock Mission” to Kosovo Mitrovica and Gazimestan, starting from the plateau in front of Serbian Parliament building in Belgrade.
When Serbian rock musician Bora Georgevich and Milich Radevich, president of the HD Club Belgrade, gave a signal to start their journey to Kosovo province, thousands of bikers from all parts of former Yugoslavia and other states (some even coming from Canada) clad in black leather, with Serbian flag fixed to a number of bikes, broke the Sunday slumber of the city downtown with thunderous uproar of powerful machines. Their convoy kept getting longer at virtually every kilometer along the way, being joined by hundreds of bikers awaiting them at the crossroads of towns they were passing by, including the visiting bikers from Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro…
Bikers brought humanitarian aid to Kosovo Mitrovica and donated blood to the local Serb hospital, after which they joined the central Vidovdan commemoration at Gazimestan.
8 Years Since the Shameful Betrayal
At the same time, in Požarevac, delegations of several Serbian associations, Socialist Party of Serbia and several hundred citizens marked the 8th year since former Yugoslav and Serbian President Slobodan Milošević was treacherously handed over to the Kangaroo Court in Hague, right on Vidovdan 2001, from which he never returned.
“Today is Vidovdan”, Jeremich Reminds OSCE FMs
Gracanica Church, Kosovo province, Serbia. Vidovdan, 2009
“Today is Vidovdan, a day of extreme importance for my country. It is a testament to our national endurance and our deep ties to Kosovo province”, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremich told OSCE ministers of foreign affairs, gathered at an informal meeting in Corfu, Greece.
“It is not merely a day when some historical event is being marked, but a bond which ties Serbia’s tradition with present-day Serbia. Vidovdan is also a symbol of defense of Serbian national identity,” Jeremich said.
“Today we choose, without hesitation, to defend this identity by the peaceful means, relying on law and diplomacy. But just as we were determined then, we are equally determined today and we shall remain so forever: regardless of what may happen, Serbia will never recognize Priština’s unilateral declaration of independence,” Jeremich stressed.
He warned that OSCE has been beset by the crisis of trust and confidence in the past several years, since its basic principles are not being implemented consistently, while proclaimed dedication to shared values has been called into question.
“Kosovo is a flagrant example. The unilateral decision by Priština to proclaim independence is an attempt of violent dismemberment of Serbia,” Jeremich said.
He warned that temporary institutions established in Kosovo and Metohija province “represent a direct challenge to our sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
“Activities of these institutions are in contravention to the Serbian Constitution, UN Charter, the will of UN Security Council and OSCE’s own Helsinki Final Act,” Jeremich said.
Pointing out that Serbia was disappointed by the lack of unity in OSCE stand on the violation of the basic international principles, Jeremich said this had facilitated questioning of the territorial integrity of other states.
“We must avoid situations where the critics can say that double standards are being implemented within the zone covered by the OSCE — one set of criteria for Kosovo, and another for other places. Exceptions can only be agreed upon through a consensus, and there is no consensus in the case of Kosovo province,” Serbian foreign minister said, adding that Serbia will not allow this problem to be brushed aside.
________________________________
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.