Referendum in north: 99.74% say "No" to Priština

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA The polls closed in the two-day referendum in the four, predominantly Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo; turnout of 75.28 percent reported. According to the first, unofficial results, 99.74 percent of those who decided to vote did so to reject the Kosovo institutions. Referendum in north: 99.74% say "No" to Pristina The area north of the Ibar River has consistently rejected the authority of the government in Pristina, as well as the unilateral proclamation of independence made by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians four years ago. In the two days of voting, 69 residents in the north, or 0.26 percent, voted "Yes" to the referendum question, "Do you accept the institutions of the so-called Republic of Kosovo?" The final and official results will be announced on Sunday. Organizers claim that the referendum was "a forced solution". Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantic expects the international community to take the position of the Serbs in the north - who do not wish to be a part of an independent Kosovo - into account. "This referendum, as they have said in Belgrade, will not have any legal consequences, because we were deciding on something that is already contained in the Serbian Constitution - that Kosovo and Metohija is a part of Serbia. However, it will be a clear message that we expect less pressure to be exerted on northern Kosovo by the international community, and for the international community to start changing its approach to solving the many problems," said Pantic. Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvecan and Zubin Potok - whose mayors all come from parties that are in the opposition on the state level - voted for two days, while Leposavic, whose Mayor Branko Ninic is a ruling Democratic Party (DS) official and was against the referendum, voted only on Wednesday. The local assembly in Leposavic went against the mayor's stance and decided that the town would organize the plebiscite, but Ninic expects no changes after the voting. He also believes that "anyone who acts out of personal or partisan interests should be sanctioned". "There was no need for a referendum now, because it will bring nothing new. The citizens, we all know that, will say they are against the (Pristina) institutions, and of course, we all know that it (the referendum) is opposed to the stance of our top state officials," Ninic was quoted as saying. Representatives of the International Crisis Group (ICG) acted as observers and according to local authorities who organized the voting, this organization was "pleased with what they found in the field". OSCE and the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, said earlier that the referendum was invalid, and that it would have no legal consequences. A polling station in Zvecan (Tanjug) B92 Beta Tanjug

Referendum in north: 99.74% say "No" to Priština

The area north of the Ibar River has consistently rejected the authority of the government in Priština, as well as the unilateral proclamation of independence made by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians four years ago.

In the two days of voting, 69 residents in the north, or 0.26 percent, voted "Yes" to the referendum question, "Do you accept the institutions of the so-called Republic of Kosovo?"

The final and official results will be announced on Sunday.

Organizers claim that the referendum was "a forced solution". Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić expects the international community to take the position of the Serbs in the north - who do not wish to be a part of an independent Kosovo - into account.

"This referendum, as they have said in Belgrade, will not have any legal consequences, because we were deciding on something that is already contained in the Serbian Constitution - that Kosovo and Metohija is a part of Serbia. However, it will be a clear message that we expect less pressure to be exerted on northern Kosovo by the international community, and for the international community to start changing its approach to solving the many problems," said Pantić.

Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvečan and Zubin Potok - whose mayors all come from parties that are in the opposition on the state level - voted for two days, while Leposavić, whose Mayor Branko Ninić is a ruling Democratic Party (DS) official and was against the referendum, voted only on Wednesday.

The local assembly in Leposavić went against the mayor's stance and decided that the town would organize the plebiscite, but Ninić expects no changes after the voting. He also believes that "anyone who acts out of personal or partisan interests should be sanctioned".

"There was no need for a referendum now, because it will bring nothing new. The citizens, we all know that, will say they are against the (Priština) institutions, and of course, we all know that it (the referendum) is opposed to the stance of our top state officials," Ninić was quoted as saying.

Representatives of the International Crisis Group (ICG) acted as observers and according to local authorities who organized the voting, this organization was "pleased with what they found in the field".

OSCE and the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, said earlier that the referendum was invalid, and that it would have no legal consequences.