"This is a unilateral decision which will create problems in the future in normalizing the relations between an independent Kosovo and Serbia"
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Serbia reasserts claim to rule over Kosovo
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2006
The Serbian Parliament voted overwhelmingly Saturday to pass the constitution, which includes a provision that defines Kosovo - currently administered by the United Nations - as an "integral part" of Serbia.
The new constitution, which was drafted after the breakup of the state of Serbia and Montenegro in May, still must be approved by a popular referendum, set for Oct. 28 and 29, before it can become law. New parliamentary elections would follow in December.
The declaration on Kosovo drew criticism from ethnic Albanian leaders.
"This is a unilateral decision which will create problems in the future in normalizing the relations between an independent Kosovo and Serbia," Lutfi Haziri, deputy prime minister of Kosovo, said Sunday, according to Agency France-Presse. But he added: "I don't think the decision will be an obstacle for the status talks."
A United Nations envoy, Martti Ahtisaari, is presiding over attempts to reach a negotiated settlement between the Serbian government and ethnic Albanians in the province. Few observers believe however that either side will be able to come to an agreement, meaning that a solution leading to Kosovo's independence may be imposed on the two parties by the UN Security Council, possibly by the end of the year.
Although officially a part of Serbia, Kosovo has been administered by the UN since June 1999, when Yugoslav troops accused of committing widespread atrocities were forced to withdraw after months of NATO-led bombing. In 1998 and 1999, an estimated 10,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanian civilians, were killed as the Serbian- dominated Yugoslav Army and the Serbian police cracked down on an ethnic Albanian insurgency.
Serbs make up less than 10 percent of the population of Kosovo. Most of them live in enclaves spread across the province, where their movements are restricted due to fear of attack by ethnic Albanians.
In an address to Serbia's Parliament on Saturday, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica suggested that by adopting the constitution, Parliament could prevent Kosovo and Metohija, as Serbs call the province, from breaking away altogether.
"By defending Kosovo and Metohija as our crucial national interest, you have unanimously decided to adopt a new constitution that would confirm that Kosovo and Metohija is simply ours," Kostunica said.
Despite his calls for unanimity, two small opposition parties voted against the proposals.
There also were angry scenes outside the Parliament building after the vote, as dozens of protesters accused members of Parliament of failing to consult voters during what they said was the rushed preparation of the constitution just over two weeks ago.
In a separate development, a key party in Kostunica's coalition administration announced over the weekend that it was withdrawing from the government.
The pro-European G17 Plus party, which runs the Finance, Health and Agriculture ministries and holds the post of deputy prime minister, said that its ministers would resign over the government's failure to arrest the leading Balkan war crimes suspect and former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, Ratko Mladic.
European foreign ministers have demanded Mladic's arrest before talks about an agreement on closer ties with Serbia could be resumed.
Finance Minister Mladen Dinkic said that he and his fellow party members had handed their resignations to Kostunica, but would remain in their positions until new elections were called.
