Serbia's Covic says new UNMIK chief aims to declare independence for Kosovo
Beta - August 18, 2004

Belgrade, 18 August: The president of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo, Nebojsa Covic, said today that the new head of UNMIK UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo , Soeren Jessen-Petersen, has come to Kosovo to "finish the job" if possible, which in Covic's interpretation means "independence for Kosovo".

"The international community is exploiting every aspect of our lack of synchrony, our loss of initiative and our stubborn and incoherent moves and plans - which are unrealistic - in order to impose its concept," Covic told the Beta agency.

"Petersen is just the sort of person, an operative, who will finish the job if he is given the opportunity to do so. You can read that 'finish the job' as meaning independence for Kosovo-Metohija," Covic added.

According to Covic, any talk of a multiethnic Kosovo is unrealistic after 17 March of this year and constitutes hypocrisy and a waste of time that does not serve the interests of the Serb community.

"That talk has to do with positing ideas in connection with independence for Kosovo. On that basis, Serbs will trickle out, and when only a few of them are left, everyone will say 'we are sorry that there are none of you left in Kosovo-Metohija'," Covic said, adding the "Kostunica has not recognized this".

"Personal and party interests are apparently more important to him (Kostunica). With everything else, I hope that we will see changes very soon and that we will persist in this sort of atmosphere to ensure that the Serb community survives in Kosovo-Metohija," Covic said.

He said that he has information indicating that a large number of Serbs are emigrating from Kosovo and that that has intensified since 17 March, which he said points to the hypocritical policy being imposed by individuals from the international community.

Covic emphasized that Serbia has no "intermediate step" concerning Kosovo, that it has lost the pace and initiative, adding that nevertheless some options remain, but that he prefers not to discuss them publicly since, as he put it, "that could be more harmful than beneficial to us."

SOURCE: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1320 gmt 18 Aug 04

Copyright 2004 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Monitoring Europe - Political
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