Kosovo sovereignty confirmed

28aug03

THE Serbian parliament overnight adopted a declaration confirming the republic's sovereignity over the UN-administered Kosovo province whose ethnic Albanian majority is seeking independence from Belgrade.

The declaration, adopted unanimously, also called for a "peacefull solution to the Kosovo issue", and urged full respect for United Nations Security Council resolution 1244, laying down rules for the province's functioning after the end of the war in 1999.

Kosovo is technically a province of Serbia but has been a UN protectorate since NATO military intervention ended the civil war between Serbian security forces and ethnic Albanian rebels in 1999.

The declaration, submitted to parliament by the Serbian government this month, noted that the province was an "indivisible" part of Serbia, despite the international administration of the province.

But in Kosovo, the province's Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi said: "The declaration might mean something to Serbia and Montenegro, but not to Kosovo."

"...we cannot ignore such acts," he told journalists: "We expect the international community will be firm on this issue this time and prevent it from reflecting upon Kosovo."

Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic, addressing the special parliamentary session overnight, expressed doubt whether a solution for Kosovo could be found only between Belgrade and ethnic Albanian leaders.

International officials in the province announced such talks to be held this summer, but their start has been delayed due to rising interethnic incidents.

The parliamentary declaration said talks on a definite status for the province could not start "before security measures foreseen by the 1244 resolution are fulfilled".

Only when the resolution was fully applied would Belgrade continue to elaborate a "platform" for Kosovo that would foresee "substantial autonomy within the Republic of Serbia, one of two members of the state of Serbia and Montenegro", the document said.

Tensions continued to rise in the province this week after several more incidents of inter-ethnic violence.

Late Tuesday, a Serb, Zoran Doncic was injured when unknown gunmen opened fire on a group of villagers in a field, UN officials said.

Three Serbs, two of them teenagers playing on a river bank, were killed this month in Kosovo.