SERBIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS UN PLAN ON KOSOVO
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.02.2007 13:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ February 14 Serbia’s parliament overwhelmingly
rejected a UN plan that would give virtual independence to the
breakaway province of Kosovo, reports RIA Novosti The rejection sends
a strong signal that Serbia will be unlikely to compromise over its
southern province, meaning a resolution to the dispute over Kosovo’s
final status will probably have to be imposed by the UN Security
Council.
The proposal, drawn up by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, does not
explicitly call for Kosovo’s independence, but envisions granting
the province its own flag, anthem, army, constitution and the right
to apply for membership in international organizations.
Serbian President Boris Tadic told the parliament that the plan
"essentially opens the way for an independent Kosovo, which is a
violation of the essential principles of the UN charter that guarantees
inviolability of internationally recognized states."
Kosovo has been a UN protectorate since 1999, when NATO bombing
halted former President Slobodan Milosevic’s crackdown on ethnic
Albanian separatists in the province. Nearly 10,000 ethnic Albanians
were killed in the onslaught, and almost 1 million were forced to
flee their homes. Serbia has offered broad autonomy for Kosovo,
which it considers the medieval cradle of its statehood. But Kosovo
Albanians, who account for 90 percent of the population, demand
complete secession.