Daily publishes text of "functional separation" offer

A Belgrade newspaper published the plan Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic offered to UNMIK recently. The proposal has in the meantime been sent from Pristina to the UN headquarters in New York. Daily publishes text of "functional separation" offer Vecerenje Novosti daily says the document is aimed at regulating a joint implementation of UN Resolution 1244 by the UN mission in Kosovo and Belgrade, in the wake of the illegal declaration of independence by the province's interim institutions. In an interview over the weekend, Samardzic, DSS, who took the proposal to the province and handed it over to UNMIK officials on March 16, dubbed it a "plan for functional separation of Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo". The newspaper adds that the document was made by the Ministry for Kosovo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is part of the Action Plan for Kosovo adopted by the government. The text of the proposed agreement confirms the validity of Resolution 1244, which is to be implemented in cooperation between the Serbian authorities and UNMIK, as well as commitment to previous agreements between the two sides, and those the UN mission signed with the government of former Yugoslavia. Another point of the proposal is to have the Ministry for Kosovo Office recognized as the successor to the Coordinating Center. The Office's goal is to facilitate a development program for Kosovo, and cooperate with UNMIK and KFOR. "UNMIK and Serbia agree to intensify cooperation in the sectors of police, judiciary, customs, transport, control of the administrative line between Kosovo and central Serbia, and protection of religious and cultural heritage," the proposal is quoted. According to the document, Serb police officers in Kosovo will "answer to local Serb authorities and will be under UNMIK police command". It adds that Kosovo Serbs would have the right to conduct their own court proceedings, while UNMIK judges would take over the cases where members of other ethnicities are also involved. Serbia and UNMIK would also undertake an obligation to contribute to free trade between Kosovo and other parts of the country, and no trading barriers would be raised. "If a third party were to establish some form of a trade barrier, Kosovo Serbs will have the right to set up their own customs authority," the proposal says. "The religious, historic and cultural heritage will be supervised in cooperation between UNMIK and Serbia, and these forces will be established as soon as possible, with the goal of becoming operational by May 2008," the document reads.

Daily publishes text of "functional separation" offer

Večerenje Novosti daily says the document is aimed at regulating a joint implementation of UN Resolution 1244 by the UN mission in Kosovo and Belgrade, in the wake of the illegal declaration of independence by the province's interim institutions.

In an interview over the weekend, Samardžić, DSS, who took the proposal to the province and handed it over to UNMIK officials on March 16, dubbed it a "plan for functional separation of Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo".

The newspaper adds that the document was made by the Ministry for Kosovo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is part of the Action Plan for Kosovo adopted by the government.

The text of the proposed agreement confirms the validity of Resolution 1244, which is to be implemented in cooperation between the Serbian authorities and UNMIK, as well as commitment to previous agreements between the two sides, and those the UN mission signed with the government of former Yugoslavia.

Another point of the proposal is to have the Ministry for Kosovo Office recognized as the successor to the Coordinating Center. The Office's goal is to facilitate a development program for Kosovo, and cooperate with UNMIK and KFOR.

"UNMIK and Serbia agree to intensify cooperation in the sectors of police, judiciary, customs, transport, control of the administrative line between Kosovo and central Serbia, and protection of religious and cultural heritage," the proposal is quoted.

According to the document, Serb police officers in Kosovo will "answer to local Serb authorities and will be under UNMIK police command".

It adds that Kosovo Serbs would have the right to conduct their own court proceedings, while UNMIK judges would take over the cases where members of other ethnicities are also involved.

Serbia and UNMIK would also undertake an obligation to contribute to free trade between Kosovo and other parts of the country, and no trading barriers would be raised.

"If a third party were to establish some form of a trade barrier, Kosovo Serbs will have the right to set up their own customs authority," the proposal says.

"The religious, historic and cultural heritage will be supervised in cooperation between UNMIK and Serbia, and these forces will be established as soon as possible, with the goal of becoming operational by May 2008," the document reads.