Serbian entity in Kosovo?

Serbian entity in Kosovo?

Priština team leader Venton Surroi told the press that what Belgrade suggested was utterly unacceptable.

“Kosovo Albanians had no say on the adoption of the Serbian Constitution and its content. Thus nothing from their Constitution can apply to Kosovo”, Surroi said.

The issues on the agenda for today’s discussion include constitutional provisions, rights of ethnic communities and the judiciary system.

No headway made yesterday

Yesterday’s negotiations on the general principles of the UN Envoy’s status proposal remained deadlocked with vague prospects for a compromise. Belgrade repeatedly insisted on discussing the status issue.

“We’ve discussed Ahtisaari’s document page by page, but it was difficult to engage the Albanian side in the dialogue over the status issue. International mediators tried to motivate the Priština team, but it is too late now. We have been offered a document that contains legal formulations for a final plan, and we’ve responded by proposing amendments to the elements we oppose”, Belgrade team coordinator Slobodan Samardžić said.

Belgrade rejected all aspects of the plan that violate territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia.

On the other hand, the Albanian side claimed the integrity of Serbia was not the topic of discussion. “Serbian representatives presented proposals that opposed the essence of Ahtisaari’s draft plan. Serbia wants to administer Kosovo as if it were its autonomous province, which is the actual reason behind the conflict. The status of Kosovo was determined in 1999. The talks we’ve engaged in serve as a means to achieve the recognition of Kosovo in the United Nations”, Jakub Krasnici, Priština team member said.

However, Leon Kojen form the Belgrade team considers such a scenario unrealistic. “If what the Albanian side says was true, than the UN wouldn’t have initiated the process aimed at the determination of Kosovo’s final status”.

As far as the international mediators are concerned, Ahtisaari assured he would only consider a proposal agreed upon by both negotiating sides.