Serbia adopts new constitution in bid to keep Kosovo

Serbia adopts new constitution in bid to keep Kosovo
Agence France Presse (English) - September 30, 2006 Saturday 9:49 PM GMT

By: Katarina Subasic

BELGRADE, Sept 30 2006 - Serbia's lawmakers on Saturday unanimously approved a new constitution that claims sovereignty over the breakaway UN-administered province of Kosovo.

"I conclude that the people's parliament of Republic of Serbia adopted a new constitution of Serbia," parliamentary speaker Predrag Markovic said.

The constitution was approved by all 242 deputies present in the 250-seat parliament.

"This constitution will seal the truth that Kosovo has always been and will forever be an integral part of the republic of Serbia," Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica told parliament ahead the vote.

The deputies also decided to call a referendum, the final step required by the current constitution for approval of a new one. The referendum will be held on October 28-29.

"We are calling all citizens to vote for new constitution, approving that Serbia is a modern democratic state and that Kosovo is not only an integral part of our territory but also an inalienable part of each of us," the prime minister said.

According to the law, more than 50 percent of the electorate must support the draft in order for the constitution to be adopted.

The new constitution, first since Serbia had introduced multiparty system in 1990, was adopted six years after the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic.

The constitution was drafted in only a couple of weeks and without a public debate in a rush to underline that Serbia would not give up its troublesome province of Kosovo ahead its final status is determined.

"The province of Kosovo is an integral part of Serbian teritory, has a position of substantial autonomy within the framework of the sovereign state of Serbia, and from such a position is derived the constitutional obligation of all state institutions to protect the interest of Serbia in Kosovo in all internal and foreign political relations," the new constitution read.

The move comes despite ongoing talks between Serbian officials and the ethnic Albanian leadership in Kosovo, who are demanding independence, over the future status of the UN-run province.

The international community has insisted that UN-sponsored talks wind up by the end of the year, but so far neither side has shown any signs of compromise.

"I see no reason to wait for Kosovo's status to be solved first," Kostunica told a press conference earlier in the day.

"For Serbia, the issue of Kosovo is solved by the fact that it is an integral part of Serbia and that international law confirms this."

"I am assuring you that this constitution will not be changed, no matter what will be the outcome of the talks on the future status of Kosovo," he added.

Kosovo became an international protectorate at the end of the 1998-1999 conflict between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian separatist guerrillas.

However, the rush to adopt the constitution was immediately criticized by Serbian President Boris Tadic, by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a security watchdog body, and by prominent non-governmental organizations (NGO) because of what they perceived as lack of proper public debate on the draft.

Some 300 supporters of non-parliamentary parties and NGOs gathered in front the parliamentary building in downtown Belgrade to protest the adoption of the constitution.

The new constitution will be proclaimed once it is approved by referendum, and will be followed by early elections at all levels, Kostunica said.

The elections will likely be held early next year, a government source told AFP.