Opinion in Serbia divided on ICTY transfers, Kosovo status, SCG durability
BBC Monitoring European. London: Dec 22, 2005. pg. 1

Text of report by Serbian news agency Beta

Belgrade, 21 December: People in Serbia are divided on the subject of support for transferring Serbian nationals to the Hague war crimes tribunal [International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia - ICTY], according to the results of a Marten Board survey presented today.

The survey showed that 19.4 per cent of respondents fully support such transfers, while 19.6 per cent mostly support them.

Transfers are totally opposed by 33.6 per cent of respondents and mostly opposed by 11.8 per cent. Also, 9.2 per cent are indifferent, 6 per cent have no opinion in the matter, and 0.4 per cent refused to give an answer.

The Marten Board survey, the results of which were presented at the Media Centre, was carried out in December on a sample of 1,207 adult respondents in Serbia outside Kosovo.

According to the survey, a majority of people in Serbia (53.7 per cent) see Kosovo-Metohija as an autonomous province within Serbia and believe this to be the best solution for the province, while 21.3 per cent of respondents declared themselves in favour of a division of Kosovo between Serbs and Albanians.

Also, 7.8 per cent believe that a protectorate by the western powers would be the best option until conditions could be created for a final solution to the crisis, while 6.4 per cent think that it would be best if Kosovo were a republic in Serbia-Montenegro, and 2.1 per cent believe that it would be best if Kosovo were independent within the existing borders.

A total 8.7 per cent of respondents could not, or would not answer the question.

Most people - 31.7 per cent - believe that the SCG state union will survive for longer than 12 months, while the next largest group - 21.8 per cent - believes that it will last for another three to six months.

Also, 13.1 per cent of respondents believe that the state union will survive for another nine to 12 months, while 10.3 per cent of respondents give it no more than three months, and 8.1 per cent feel that it will go on for between six and nine months longer. Also, 15 per cent of respondents could not, or would not answer the question about Serbia-Montenegro's durability.

Credit: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1339 21 Dec 05

Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1339 21 Dec 05/BBCMonitoring/(c) BBC
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