Top officials to discuss draft Kosovo resolution

BELGRADE Serbia's leaders are yet to reach agreement on the final text of a draft resolution on Kosovo and Metohija that will be sent to parliament. The meeting of the country's top officials to discuss this topic will be held on Saturday, Belgrade's daily Vecernje Novosti is reporting this evening. Top officials to discuss draft Kosovo resolution According to the article, the meeting "should finalize the document" by means of specifying which of the basic principles contained in President Tomislav Nikolic's platform would make their way into the resolution that will first be forwarded to cabinet ministers, and then to MPs. The platform itself will not be put up for a vote, but it will be made the resolution's accompanying document. After the state leadership meets on Saturday the text will be considered during an extraordinary session of the government, most likely to take place on Tuesday, which will also be attended by Nikolic. The authorities plan to, in the meantime, hold another round of consultations with parliamentary group chiefs and representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija. The parliament session to discuss the draft resolution is expected to be called for January 11 at the latest. The newspaper also said it learned that MPs have already been informed that the session will indeed be held on January 11. "We expect a wide consensus on the basic principles stemming from President Nikolic's platform. It is important that Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija have supported the state strategy. I believe that only those who publicly or secretly support Kosovo's independence could stand against this policy," said ruling SNS MP Milovan Drecun, who also chairs the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija. MP Dejan Radenkovic, of the ruling SPS, also expects agreement to be reached: "It is in the interest of Serbia to move toward a solution to the Kosovo issue. The more realistic the resolution text, the wider the support for it will be. We need unity, but also the backing from the global centers of power. The resolution will also be a test of whether the international community wishes to see a resolution to the crisis or its continuation." MP Borislav Stefanovic, who heads the opposition DS group, said that he could not state his position on the resolution considering that he was yet to see the draft: "The fact is that neither the government nor parliament will vote on President Nikolic's document. If we are to declare ourselves only on some unquestionable general principles, we (the DS) could even accept that, but we wonder - what is the purpose of such a document, and why now? It is important for the government to clearly say whether or not we will continue the negotiations with the (ethnic) Albanians." Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantic told the daily that he expected representatives of Serbs from Kosovo to once again meet with the president, but did not specify when this meeting might take place. In another Kosovo-related development reported on Thursday, the foreign minister of the government in Pristina, Enver Hoxhaj, stated that they would insist that a liaison officer who should be sent to Belgrade "must enjoy diplomatic immunity". Head of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin responded by saying that any form of diplomatic status or immunity was "out of the question", and added: "Liaison officers coming from Pristina will be granted none of that." A view of the Serbian parliament (Tanjug) Vecernje novosti

Top officials to discuss draft Kosovo resolution

According to the article, the meeting "should finalize the document" by means of specifying which of the basic principles contained in President Tomislav Nikolić's platform would make their way into the resolution that will first be forwarded to cabinet ministers, and then to MPs.

The platform itself will not be put up for a vote, but it will be made the resolution's accompanying document.

After the state leadership meets on Saturday the text will be considered during an extraordinary session of the government, most likely to take place on Tuesday, which will also be attended by Nikolić.

The authorities plan to, in the meantime, hold another round of consultations with parliamentary group chiefs and representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.

The parliament session to discuss the draft resolution is expected to be called for January 11 at the latest.

The newspaper also said it learned that MPs have already been informed that the session will indeed be held on January 11.

"We expect a wide consensus on the basic principles stemming from President Nikolić's platform. It is important that Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija have supported the state strategy. I believe that only those who publicly or secretly support Kosovo's independence could stand against this policy," said ruling SNS MP Milovan Drecun, who also chairs the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija.

MP Dejan Radenković, of the ruling SPS, also expects agreement to be reached:

"It is in the interest of Serbia to move toward a solution to the Kosovo issue. The more realistic the resolution text, the wider the support for it will be. We need unity, but also the backing from the global centers of power. The resolution will also be a test of whether the international community wishes to see a resolution to the crisis or its continuation."

MP Borislav Stefanović, who heads the opposition DS group, said that he could not state his position on the resolution considering that he was yet to see the draft:

"The fact is that neither the government nor parliament will vote on President Nikolić's document. If we are to declare ourselves only on some unquestionable general principles, we (the DS) could even accept that, but we wonder - what is the purpose of such a document, and why now? It is important for the government to clearly say whether or not we will continue the negotiations with the (ethnic) Albanians."

Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić told the daily that he expected representatives of Serbs from Kosovo to once again meet with the president, but did not specify when this meeting might take place.

In another Kosovo-related development reported on Thursday, the foreign minister of the government in Priština, Enver Hoxhaj, stated that they would insist that a liaison officer who should be sent to Belgrade "must enjoy diplomatic immunity".

Head of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin responded by saying that any form of diplomatic status or immunity was "out of the question", and added:

"Liaison officers coming from Priština will be granted none of that."