Serbian Patriarch Expects “Wise Decision” by ICJ Tomorrow

Patriarch Irinej Gavrilović (1930- ), the First Hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC)

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His Holiness Patriarch Irinej Gavrilović, the First Hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), said that he expected the [ICJ’s] decision on Kosovo tomorrow to be “wise”. The court’s ruling in the case of the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo Albanians should leave “both Serbs and (ethnic) Albanians” in Kosovo satisfied, he was quoted as saying. The patriarch believed that any unilateral decision would forever remain “an apple of discord between the two peoples”.

The spiritual leader of the SPC also stated that his thoughts were mostly with the Serbs in Kosovo, and that he was praying that the decision of the ICJ would represent a permanent and best possible solution for both peoples, and in particular, that it may reduce the suffering of the Serb people in Kosovo. “Serbs in Kosovo today, without a doubt, live in the worst conditions people can face in the world and that is why tribute should be paid to them”, the patriarch said, and he noted that he had witnessed this fist-hand during his recent trip to the province. “Those who stayed live under the most difficult conditions, they’re in constant pain, suffering, and fear, so they need help and support from all of us from other parts of Serbia. The international community should have realised and understood that by now”, Vladyki Irinej said. The patriarch also noted that he was surprised by what he had seen during his visit to Kosovo, from the efforts made, the fact that “people actually lived there”, to the sights of Serb holy sites burned to the ground, which testified to the centuries-long and primordial existence of Serbs in those parts.

21 July 2010

B92

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2010&mm=07&dd=21&nav_id=68589

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