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| Samardžić: Serbia offers Kosovo "minimum integration" |
| 24 September 2007 | 20:20
| Source:
B92, Tanjug |
BELGRADE, PRIŠTINA --
The Ministry for Kosovo presented its "first 100 days" achievements to the public Monday.
 | Samardžić and some of the associates mark 100 days in office (Beta)
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Minister Slobodan Samardžić said that the model of essential autonomy which Serbia proposed for Kosovo rested on the principle of "minimum integration."
Speaking at a news conference, Samardžić said that Belgrade developed this model "based on a realistic situation, i.e. fact that Albanians did not want to develop relations with Serbia."
He said that Belgrade was ready to give Priština full jurisdiction even over fields such as economy and tax collection.
"If they get 95 percent of competences, the question is what they would be in Serbia. That's why Kosovo-Metohija would not have the need to integrate in [Serbian] institutions, because the Serbian parliament would not interfere in the competences [of Priština]," Samardžić said.
B92 has meanwhile had insight into a document defining the ministry's organization, that suggests as many as 50 new advisers look set to become government employees.
130 people already work with the ministry, Samardžić told B92 today, adding that the ministry under his leadership was "modest, although with a huge national and state task ahead of it."
However, B92 has seen an internal job announcement that looks to bring 50 more staff to the Federation Palace, where the ministry is located.
The plans aim to in effect employ one adviser per each international organization and NGO.
Samardžić said he did not see this as a problem, and added the minister of finance shared his opinion.
Meanwhile in Priština, also Monday, the ethnic Albanian negotiating team said they would take part in negotiations with Belgrade in New York on September 28 "in order to present Kosovo Albanians' will for independence," and that they would not accept any other solution, regardless of Belgrade's offers.
After the team meeting in Priština, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said that he would present the vision of "future relations between Kosovo and Serbia as two sovereign states".
He said that Albanians did not expect an agreement and success of the meeting "in view of the Serbian side's approach."
Sejdiu did not comment on whether there was a special agreement between the United States and the Priština in connection with the declaration of independence, but said that decision would be made "in time and in coordination with all those who support Kosovo's independence."
The identical stand was conveyed by other negotiating team members - Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku, Democratic Party of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who also announced a request to the international community "to speed up the international recognition of independence of Kosovo," and Reformist Party ORA leader Veton Surroi, who said that, unlike Serbs who "offer a 19th-century solution, Kosovo Albanians offer the 21st-century solution."
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