ext of report in English by Belgrade-based Radio B92 text website on 5 May
Belgrade, 5 May: The fourth round of Kosovo status discussions continues today in Vienna.
The Belgrade and Pristina delegations will be discussing the formation of municipalities in northern Kosovo, with Kosovska Mitrovica topping the agenda. The Serbian team has suggested to make the northern part of the city a municipality of its own, while the [Kosovo] Albanians are asking for two municipalities to be formed within the confines of one city.
Belgrade delegation member Aleksandar Simic said that it is not realistic to expect the two delegations to reach a compromise on the issue.
During yesterday's discussions, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on the formation of municipalities with Serbian majority communities. The Pristina delegation offered two new municipalities. Belgrade official Slobodan Samardzic said that his delegation proposed the formation of ten new municipalities in various parts of Kosovo in which Serbian majorities live.
"We have one proposal that will solve the problems of the return effort, security, the preservation of the Serbian population, and on the basis of this we proposed the new municipalities. I think that the third party took our arguments well, because they are exact. The arguments were not historic or epic, but rather, based on information regarding the number of refugees and people who live there, and I think that they were well received," Samardzic said.
Samardzic added that the Albanian side was taken by surprise by the detailed proposal of the Belgrade team and that they did not have a good enough answer for the decentralization question. Pristina team leader Lutfi Haziri, however, said that the Serbia team wants to discuss something that the Albanian officials do not understand.
"Our differences are too great. They continue to show up when we are talking about the formation of municipalities because we are working with completely different criteria. Belgrade came out with old documents and proposals and talks of something that is fairly confusing to us and something that we do not understand. Nevertheless, we will continue to discuss this," Haziri said.
Belgrade delegate Leon Kojen said that it is too early to talk about a compromise, but it is important to note that the international officials are beginning to understand that Belgrade's proposal cannot be eliminated.
"Without noting that without giving the Serbian municipalities expanded authority in the sectors of law enforcement, courts, education, health, culture, everything we have asked for, the projects of creating new municipalities will be worthless. These are things that make up an unbreakable whole," Kojen said.
The delegation members and international envoy Albert Roan will give statements to the press after today's round.
The next round of discussions is scheduled for 23 May, at which time the teams will discuss cultural monuments, property rights and economic issues before the talks regarding Kosovo's status begin in June, according to UN special envoy Marti Ahtisaari.
Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 1217 gmt 5 May 06
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15 comments:
western media just keep repeating each other like parrots
as opposed to...the eastern media?
So, we make North Mitrovica a mini Serbia, hide a few pseudo-Mladic characters there who can cross the river, do damage and be honored and run free on the north side to repeat the action again and again. Give it up, Serbia, you're losing and YOUR media still doesn't know it.
These negotiations are going to be tough - no doubt.
But there is a fact to bear in mind. If Kosovo is awarded independence - as looks the more likely outcome, there will be a price to be exacted.
One of those prices will be in the form of allowing more non Albanian municipalities. On the one hand the internationals move to try to settle these things first and then move to the status question later is clever. But on the other it will encourage the Serbian side to take a harder line now.
anonymous which Serbian media are you talking about. Am I to assume by your comment that 'your' media wherever that might be knows it is winning.
So much for journalism when one is supposed to carry out an ethnicity check on oneself before one has an opinion right?
Lucky that not all of us make decisions like that.
No bg anon, now the serbs will try and bitch and try to represent "non-albanians" in their quest to rise that refugee number from 60-80k (which it is) to say something bullcrap has been claming for years over 200k.
What should be done is no new communities be created (with serb majority, where do you think you live EUTOPIA?) but instead integrate the minority and make sure they are safe. The more you seperate people the more divided they will be. Start social programs get all people playing, working, and enjoying themselves together--then multi-ethnicity takes over by itself without anyone present.
What bullcrap is asking is 10 communities with serb majority, why would anyone do that? If you are going to create a multi-ethnic society it has to be equal, if a city is over 50% serb--other serbs come and with their illegal weapons which are smuggled will shoot and kill everyone else to make the whole town more like 99% serb....how do you think North mitrovica is all serb now?? there are houses of albanians which they can never go to because the serbs are guarding with all types of illegal weapons (last time i checked it was illegal to have weapons in Kosova..fucking UN bs).
Serbs will get their municipalities. Shiftars will declare independence, and Serbs will declare their municipalities a part of Serbia---shiftars will shoot first and many of them will die at the hands of the same people who came their to 'save' them. We all know it will happen.
anon we all know it could happen is the more realistic way of putting it.
It depends on many factors but mainly on the total of foreign donations and 'committment' to the region.
The Serbian government that will be dealing with this issue will likely be one led by the Democratic Party (despite opinion polls giving the Radicals the lead).
Other anonymous what worries me about your comments is your tendancy to put responsibility on the Serbs in this. Yes N Mitrovica is in Serbian hands but you fail to mention that its exactly the same for non Albanians in South Mitrovica. Further its that way in most of Kosovo. So why are you so selective? Why cant you advocate multiethnicism in all of Kosovo and not only in N Mitrovica. Here, I will do that now. I call all ALL of Kosovo (including North Mitrovica to become multiethnic).
Will you also call on your own to keep their own house in order?
Of course there is a way of stopping the Serbs from representing the non Albanians in Kosovo. Try fighting for the rights of Roma, Bosniaks etc yourself. Problem is that some Albanians dont like them any more than they like Serbs. Thats something you have to fight yourself instead of complaining again about the Serbs.
By the way, I'll be completely honest with you. The only real hope Serbs have is if Albanians turn against the internationals. Probably only that can save Serbian aspirations in Kosovo (the internationals dont really care if every Serb is cleansed from Kosovo). So, if I were you, if you are smart, I would not be hostile to the internationals. You just gotta smile when they are increasing prostitution in Kosovo. Thats not a nasty joke btw. I know what international troops and their 'civilised' ways do to local populations. :(
since March 17, 2004, shiftars have shown what they want for Kosovo...a cleansed area for shifstars only. Actions speak louder than words...walk the walk. Shiftar talk means nothing.
When reading comments from ppl such as shqptr0 one really understands why Serbia will NEVER rule Kosova again. I think all this hate is unnecessary and damaging to your heart brother. I feel like these are just results of you starting to grasp reality and have stopped dreaming of kosmet. If you really want to help your country and ppl be positive and embrace the new nation next door... or Albanians will be mad ;)
bg anon,
How brave of you to call for all of Kosovo to be multiethnic!
How about having all of Serbia multiethnic? Isn't that fair?
I don't mind Serbs having their own municipalities, but we have to bear in mind that Kosovo is one of the most homogenous entities in Europe ( 85%-90% Albanian). We are not about to invite Serbs from Smederevo just for the sake of multi-ethnicity. Kosovo population is what it is and everybody should get used to it. Kosovo should not be more or less multiethnic than it was in late 1997. Does anybody have a problem with that?
balkan update if its 'brave' of me to call for Kosovo to be multiethnic then I hope that you will also be brave and call for the same thing.
In fact as you know there is no need to call on Serbia to support multiethnicism because Serbia is multiethnic and not monoethnic as Kosovo is.
Multiethnicism is a positive in my opinion, although I agree that some groups will try to abuse the rights of the priniple.
However, since there is basic freedom of movement for all peoples, including Albanians, in Serbia (not including Kosovo) I think both of us should be more concerned about multiethnicism and the human rights situation in Kosovo.
I would probably prefer the multiethnicism of the 1970's in Kosovo before ethnic relations really started going downhill.
Albo turk moslem mutts deserve violent beheadings
Serbia and Montenegro is the most multi-ethnic country in the Balkans....unlike Albania, Croatia, Bosnia, or Kosovo.
Many serbs were beheaded in Kosovo during the conflict...by muslim albanians...and their terrorist muslim friends who came to the province to help them, just like in Bosnia...
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