Bosnian Serb premier says Kosovo also needs independence referendum

Text of report by Bosnia-Hercegovina Federation News Agency FENA

Banja Luka, 25 May: [Bosnian] Serb Republic Prime Minister Milorad Dodik believes that it would probably be good if Kosovo also held a referendum, which would provide a basis for reaching a decision on the status of the province.

Commenting Kosovo Premier Agim Ceku's statement that following the referendum in Montenegro it has become totally obvious that Kosovo too would become independent by the end of the year, Dodik told reporters in Banja Luka that according to the UN Charter the right to self-determination was the universal right of every nation, and that people should be given the right to declare themselves on the matter.

"I like this form of democratic expression of the will of the people to decide on such matters, and it would perhaps only be a formal question to hold a referendum on Kosovo on the status it wants, so this could provide a basis for reaching a decision," Dodik believes.

Source: Federation News Agency, Sarajevo, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 1512 gmt 25 May 06