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A:
State negotiating team requests demilitarisation of Kosovo
Vienna,
1 March 2007
The state negotiating team for talks on future status of Kosovo requested at today's talks held in Vienna that the province be demilitarised and that the international military and police forces be in charge of its safety.
Author:
Tanjug
Coordinator of the state negotiating team Slobodan Samardzic told the press after the talks held in Austria Centre that with its amendments, the Serbian delegation wanted to remove all doubts concerning the violation of Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in Kosovo-Metohija.
Our position is that the future international military presence in Kosovo-Metohija should be regulated by a special agreement between Serbia and the UN, with the UN establishing the mandate and modality of sending international military troops to the province, Samardzic explained.
He emphasised that Belgrade requests that the international civil representative in Kosovo-Metohija be established also by a special agreement between Serbia and the UN, on the basis of which the mandate of the international civil representative would be determined.
Samardzic said that Martti Ahtisaari's proposal on setting up future Kosovo security forces was also discussed today.
In that proposal, we saw a nucleus of the future Albanian army in Kosovo-Metohija. We refused that entire part because it is not in harmony with our proposal which we presented already on the first day of the negotiations and that is that Kosovo be demilitarised, Samardzic said. He added that the international military forces would be present in the province "temporarily".
The Albanian side showed great enthusiasm, they simply want to make an army. We had a discussion on that issue and I think that our arguments were much more convincing, Samardzic said.
Coordinator of the negotiating team Leon Kojen stated that in the annexes of Ahtisaari's plan dealing with the international civil representative and international military presence in Kosovo-Metohija, there are certain provisions with which the Belgrade delegation agreed because, as he said, Belgrade is not against an international presence in the province.
However, we insist that both institutions should be established on the basis of an agreement made between Serbia and the UN, Kojen said and added that the main difference between Belgrade and Pristina in today's talks concerned demilitarisation in Kosovo-Metohija.
He underlined that differences on that issue are irreconcilable because it is not clear what the purpose of those new Kosovo military forces would be.
We think that they would be a blow to regional stability. I think that would destabilise parts of Macedonia, Montenegro, perhaps even the area around Presevo and Bujanovac, Kojen warned.
He said that Belgrade made an explicit request that Serbia's border in Kosovo-Metohija be secured by international military forces and border police units of the Serbian Ministry of Interior.
The Pristina delegation requested the urgent formation of a Kosovo army.
Our position is that the future international military presence in Kosovo-Metohija should be regulated by a special agreement between Serbia and the UN, with the UN establishing the mandate and modality of sending international military troops to the province, Samardzic explained.
He emphasised that Belgrade requests that the international civil representative in Kosovo-Metohija be established also by a special agreement between Serbia and the UN, on the basis of which the mandate of the international civil representative would be determined.
Samardzic said that Martti Ahtisaari's proposal on setting up future Kosovo security forces was also discussed today.
In that proposal, we saw a nucleus of the future Albanian army in Kosovo-Metohija. We refused that entire part because it is not in harmony with our proposal which we presented already on the first day of the negotiations and that is that Kosovo be demilitarised, Samardzic said. He added that the international military forces would be present in the province "temporarily".
The Albanian side showed great enthusiasm, they simply want to make an army. We had a discussion on that issue and I think that our arguments were much more convincing, Samardzic said.
Coordinator of the negotiating team Leon Kojen stated that in the annexes of Ahtisaari's plan dealing with the international civil representative and international military presence in Kosovo-Metohija, there are certain provisions with which the Belgrade delegation agreed because, as he said, Belgrade is not against an international presence in the province.
However, we insist that both institutions should be established on the basis of an agreement made between Serbia and the UN, Kojen said and added that the main difference between Belgrade and Pristina in today's talks concerned demilitarisation in Kosovo-Metohija.
He underlined that differences on that issue are irreconcilable because it is not clear what the purpose of those new Kosovo military forces would be.
We think that they would be a blow to regional stability. I think that would destabilise parts of Macedonia, Montenegro, perhaps even the area around Presevo and Bujanovac, Kojen warned.
He said that Belgrade made an explicit request that Serbia's border in Kosovo-Metohija be secured by international military forces and border police units of the Serbian Ministry of Interior.
The Pristina delegation requested the urgent formation of a Kosovo army.
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