Vienna talks pick up today

Vienna talks pick up today

Belgrade team coordinator Leon Kojen said that the Serb delegation proposed the Kosovo municipalities predominantly populated by Serbs chose local police chiefs at the municipal assemblies.

“We demanded that the Kosovo police and special police forces from Priština be denied entry into Serbian municipalities, and granted their way in when the set conditions are met and the local police informed. Kosovo Serbs will thereby be appropriately protected”, Kojen said.

He added that Belgrade also asked the Law on police in Kosovo Parliament could be adopted only if a majority of Serbian deputies approved of the draft.

Samardžić said, ahead of the talks, that Ahtisaari’s plan was flawed to a great extent in regards to decentralization.

“Our main suggestions from last year’s negotiations on Kosovo have not been not introduced in the UN envoy’s document. Ahtisaari even failed to include what we agreed on, such as Serbian municipalities’ added authorities, their connections with Belgrade, the exact number of municipalities and the transitive period envisaged for their creation”, Samardžić said.

He also said that Belgrade proposed the creation of 11 new municipalities with Serb majorities, while Ahtisaari only mentioned 5 additional ones and the extension of an already established municipality.

Ahtisaari: Supervised independence for Kosovo

According to the Belgrade daily Blic’s sources from Brussels, UN special Kosovo envoy will disclose the details of his finalized proposal at the meeting due to take place on March 10. The Serbian President and Prime Minister are expected to attend the event.

The same sources could not confirm whether the proposal containing the phrase “supervised independence” would be considered at the UN Security Council. Five permanent members of the UN SC would have to reach a consensus on the agenda beforehand.

Ahtisaari would first submit the document to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who would then arrange consultations with the five permanent members, including the US, Great Britain, Russia, China and France, in regards to Ahtisaari’s final proposal.

Should consultations fall short of consensus, Ahtisaari may have to alter the proposal, making it “status neutral”, Blic quoted its sources as saying.

Ahtisaari may resign from his Kosovo envoy post as a possible outcome of status-free proposal put before the UNSC. Premature elections in Kosovo organized to gain time are also an option, the daily concluded.