SERBIA: Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samaradizic outlines Belgrade's proposal for solving the status of the breakaway province

Serbia's minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, says there must be compromise in the status of the breakaway province, with substantial autonomy the best solution. So far there has been little sign of such compromise with Serbia insisting independence for Kosovo is out of the question while the Albanians, 90 percent of the population, say nothing less will do after their 1998-99 hammering by Serb forces. In an interview with Reuters, Samardzic acknowledged that it is unlikely Kosovo Albanians would see themselves as "loyal citizens of Serbia" after the 1998-99 war, expulsions, NATO intervention and eight years of U.N. stewardship. "We can offer to Albanians only loose integration in Serbia. So, they're not willing to integrate themselves in Serbia, it is their political will, they are looking for independence. They cannot get independence as far as Serbia's standpoint is and we are trying to find some middle way between these two possibilities," Samardzic said. Serbia says its sovereignty is inviolable but offers extensive self-determination within existing borders. "Kosovo would have a biggest portion of competences in its hands, in the hands of Kosovo's institutions. It means that in all areas of economic life, social life, cultural life, infrastructure, taxation policy, in all of them Kosovo would be a self-governing territory. It means that they would have exclusive powers in that area, without any interference of Belgrade," Samardzic said. "On the other side, Belgrade would have so called reserve powers and these are a concrete number of powers which ensure sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia. So, we think that foreign policy, border control, protection of cultural heritage, would be the powers which should be implemented immediately after achieving a common settlement," he added. NATO bombed Serbia for 11 weeks to halt the killing of Albanian civilians by Serb forces fighting a separatist revolt. Serb troops were compelled to pull out and the U.N. took over. Over 100,000 Serbs then fled, fearing Albanian revenge attacks. Eight years later the West fears violence, possibly regional unrest, if the Albanians are kept in their limbo status much longer. But Serbia says stability is possible. "We think that the international military presence should ensure peace and stability in Kosovo for some period. So, it is our general offer and we think that having provided Kosovo with such a big portion of competences and with completely divided competences, they would live their life and they would determine the level of participation in Serbia's political, economic, and the other life as they wish, as they will," Samardzic said. A new round of talks began last month at the insistence of Belgrade and Moscow, which is against Kosovo's independence. The two sides will meet face-to-face in New York on September 28. Samardzic says a solution can be found. "Everybody gets something, everybody loses something, and nobody gets all, everything as they have in their collective mind. OK, they are vehemently for independence, it's legitimate from their point of view. We are principally for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity, so we must look for the solution. If everybody imposes its own solution to the other side, we shall only postpone our conflict and it will last for decades and decades," he said. An international "troika" of envoys seeking a resolution to Kosovo's status is due to report its progress to the United Nations on December 10.

ITN Source | September 21, 2007

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