http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_world_3800372_12/04/2007_82223
*Kosovo domino effect* SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Bosnian Serbs should not tie their fate to that of Serbia's province of Kosovo, where the Albanian majority may be granted supervised sovereignty soon, Bosnian Prime Minister Nikola Spiric said in an interview. He was addressing Western concerns that Kosovo's independence could spur secession demands by Serbs whose autonomous republic makes up half of Bosnia, as constituted by the Dayton peace accords which ended the 1992-95 war. "I think Serbs should in no way link their status to the resolution of the Kosovo question," said Spiric, an ethnic Serb who became prime minister in February. "That would be nonsense." "Under Dayton, the Serb Republic is an integral part of Bosnia and (Bosnian Serbs) don't question its sovereignty," Spiric said in his office overlooking downtown Sarajevo. "I would not be sitting here if I didn't believe in this." Bosnian-Serb separatist rhetoric has grown louder since Montenegro voted to end its voluntary union with Serbia a year ago, although leaders say secession could become an issue only if their autonomy came under threat. The issue inflamed the runup to Bosnia's general elections last September, slowing the country's European Union integration process and putting in question Bosnians' ability to run their own affairs without outside help. Spiric, a member of the Serb Republic's dominant Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, the party of the Bosnian-Serb Republic's Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, said Bosnian Serbs have no pretensions of going it alone or joining Serbia. "We primarily have to be dedicated to Bosnia and to solving problems in Bosnia, taking care that this wave (Kosovo) does not splash against our shore," the 50-year-old-economist told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. Pro-secession Serbs say that if Kosovo's 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority gets self-determination, Bosnian Serbs must have the right to secede and join Serbia. This could provoke further secession demands by Bosnian Croats, leading to the ethnic fragmentation of the state. The main problem today, Spiric said, "is this autistic message from Sarajevo that the Serb Republic is unwanted." "We have to realize that we are each other's most important partner for the success of this country," he said. [image: http://photo.kathimerini.gr/kathnews/images/dot_clear.gif] ____________ Virus checked by G DATA AntiVirusKit Version: AVK 17.3932 from 12.04.2007 Virus news: www.antiviruslab.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
