Vienna: Security provisions stumbling block

Vienna: Security provisions stumbling block

“Our position is that this would be prelude to future Kosovo army or the Albanian army in Kosovo. We’ve rejected the whole lot for it is inconsistent with the demilitarization of Kosovo we proposed on the first day of the negotiations”, Samardžić said.

He added that Belgrade could allow for the temporary international military presence in Kosovo until the demilitarization of the province was completed.

Another coordinator, Leon Kojen, said that Priština leaders obviously wished to embark on establishing Kosovo's army as soon as possible.

“Belgrade insisted that international troops and Serbian border police secure the province’s border”, Kojen said.

The Albanian side claims Kosovo is ready to set up its own security forces.

“The plan stipulates that Kosovo gets the essential support from NATO. On the other hand, we’ve had seven years to learn how to conduct ourselves and organize our own security troops”, Adrijan Djini said on behalf of the Priština negotiating team.

“Kosovo security forces form the basis for the future Kosovo security system, namely the Kosovo army”, Djini concluded.

Belgrade: Serbian police to guard monasteries

Belgrade team member Sandra Rašković-Ivić said that Belgrade proposed amendments related to the number and the size of the proposed protected zones and the safety mechanisms.

An agreement on the Kosovo status settlement still seems out of reach judging by yesterday’s talks between Belgrade and Priština. In an attempt to review the portion of Ahtisaari’s plan outlining the protection of cultural and religious heritage, the two delegations accused each other of “bringing politics into the issue”.

Even though the UN Envoy’s plan envisages as many as 45 protection zones, Rašković-Ivić claimed that many of the original zones were “scattered”.

“The original spread of 6,500 hectares per zone had been scaled down to 5,400 hectares as we agreed earlier. However, Ahtisaari’s plan allots 2,000 hectares to one zone, which constitutes 40 percent of our original demands. We disprove of that”, Ivić said.

Sanda Rašković-Ivić restated that Belgrade proposed that specially trained Serb police forces should guard Serbian monasteries and churches in Kosovo.

Priština team member Liber Hisa qualified the proposal as a provocation from Belgrade. He didn’t wish to comment. Hisa accused Belgrade of politicizing the issue of cultural heritage.

“We think that cultural heritage should be regarded separately, without politics involved. That is why we proposed a Memorandum on understanding between the two sides so as to take a common line of action in regards to promoting culture and joint values. Belgrade seemed to have approved of the concept. We have to gather around culture, and not clash over it”, Hisa argued.

Belgrade team coordinator Slobodan Samardžić said that Belgrade proposed a special council for overseeing the protection of churches and monasteries in Kosovo. He explained that the council would gather the representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and other relevant institutions.

Samardžić went on to say that the Albanian delegation tried to portray Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo as the heritage of Kosovo Serbs, rather than the Serbian nation in its entirety.