"Serbia impatient, opening issue of northern Kosovo"

"Serbia is slowly losing patience in its technical negotiations with Pristina," says an Albanian language daily published in Pristina. The Zeri newspaper wrote on Tuesday that "Serbia is demanding the opening of the issue of northern Kosovo as soon as possible", as well as "an administrative model for the North that existed after June 12, 1999, when the area was under UN administration". "Serbia impatient, opening issue of northern Kosovo" "This status would place Northern Kosovo under international administration, which would mean that Kosovo would not have sovereignty over the northern part of its territory," Zeri warns. According to an unnamed source, "Belgrade is trying to get international support for such a solution, on the basis of resolution 1244, but along the UN, the EU would also have its role to play". "This would be a UNMIK 2 mission, which would be deployed only in the North, mostly in Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan," writes the daily. But it adds that the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina believe that there is no need for international administration, except for the organization of local elections and for establishing "legitimate authority in the north, instead of parallel Serbian structures which are in control of this part of Kosovo", says Zeri. Serbs are a majority north of the Ibar River, and reject both the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in early 2008, and the authority of the Pristina-based government.

"Serbia impatient, opening issue of northern Kosovo"

"This status would place Northern Kosovo under international administration, which would mean that Kosovo would not have sovereignty over the northern part of its territory," Zeri warns.

According to an unnamed source, "Belgrade is trying to get international support for such a solution, on the basis of resolution 1244, but along the UN, the EU would also have its role to play".

"This would be a UNMIK 2 mission, which would be deployed only in the North, mostly in Leposavić, Zubin Potok and Zvečan," writes the daily.

But it adds that the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština believe that there is no need for international administration, except for the organization of local elections and for establishing "legitimate authority in the north, instead of parallel Serbian structures which are in control of this part of Kosovo", says Zeri.

Serbs are a majority north of the Ibar River, and reject both the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in early 2008, and the authority of the Priština-based government.