20 11 2007 Brussels_ Serbia has come forward with a new proposal on the final status of Kosovo – modelled on the status of the Aland Islands between Sweden and Finland.
The Serbian Minister responsible for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardsic, confirmed that the new proposal has been put to the international troika, the US, the EU and Russia, which is seeking to mediate an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina.
“It’s something that was worked out 80 years ago,” Samardzic said. “It would be cheaper for the Albanians to wait for independence based on this model, rather than negotiating with us.”
Finland granted autonomous status to the Swedish-speaking Aland Islands, including the right of the islands to maintain their language, to collect their own taxes and customs as well as to maintain own culture and traditions.
An international treaty established the neutral and demilitarized status of Aland islands, while its residents are exempt of conscription in the Finish army. Aland has its own national flag, has issued its own postage stamps, runs its own police force, and is a member of the Nordic Council. Since 2005 the Aland Islands also got their own national airline.
Delegations from Belgrade and Pristina will meet today for direct talks on Kosovo’s final status.
The European representative on the troika, Wolfgang Ischinger, has confirmed that he will not offer his proposal on so-called “neutral status” at today’s meeting. “We will have to discuss this in the troika first,” he said ahead of the meeting, adding that “I am confident that we will have progress.”
However, no breakthrough was expected from today’s discussions as the Kosovo side is still insisting on independence, based on the plan put forward by UN mediator Martti Ahtisaari, while the Serbian side has consistently rejected this.
Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu confirmed again today that Kosovars would act in coordination with international partners. “However we have to have in mind also the will of population, and that is independence,” Sejdiu said.
On Monday the European Union warned Kosovo’s newly elected leadership not to take unilateral steps. This followed an announcement by Hashim Thaci, whose party came out on top after Saturday’s general election in Kosovo, that Kosovo would declare independence.
However, the European Union has for the first time acknowledged that its 27 members are assessing how to react if a declaration of independence is made. Late on Monday Portuguese Foreign Minister Louis Amado noted that “this will be the situation that the Union will most probably face.”
Today’s talks will be followed by “an extended round of negotiations,” next week. Next week’s talks, at a castle outside Vienna, are scheduled to be the final attempt by the international community to find common ground between Pristina and Belgrade, ahead of the troika’s report, due to be delivered to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on December 10. (Birn)
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