http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.2251539312
ADN KRONOS INTERNATIONAL (ITALY) Serbia: Belgrade rejects plan to replace UN Kosovo mission Belgrade, 13 June (AKI) - Serbia has rejected a plan by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to gradually replace the current UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) by the European Union mission (EULEX). In a report to the UN Security Council on Thursday, the secretary-general proposed a drastic reduction in the UN mission, which has been in Kosovo since 1999, and a gradual transfer to EULEX. Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February with the support of western powers, was to proclaim its state constitution on Sunday and Ban said his report has taken into account a "new reality" on the ground. But Belgrade, supported by Russia, opposes Kosovo's independence and objects to the EU mission, recognising only UNMIK. "My intention is to change operative aspects of the international civilian mission in Kosovo," Ban said in a report. But Serbian Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic said EULEX was not welcome in Kosovo without the approval by the UN Security Council, because its main goal was to implement a plan by the UN negotiator Martti Ahtisaari for Kosovo's independence. "Ban Ki-moon has exceeded his competences deriving from the Resolution 1244, because only the UN Security Council can make decisions on the changing nature of the international presence in Kosovo," Samardzic said. Ban said EULEX would "operate under the UN umbrella, based on Resolution 1244", but Samardzic said it was just an attempt to legalise Kosovo's independence "through the back door". Forty two countries have recognised Kosovo's independence and Belgrade is fighting a diplomatic battle to regain control over the former Serbian province. Samardzic said that minority Serbs in Kosovo would continue to boycott Kosovar institutions and would constitute their own parliament soon to counter ethnic Albanians' independence moves. __,_._,___
