Slovak president rejects UN plan for Kosovo
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - February 8, 2007, Thursday

Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK

Nitra, West Slovakia, 8 February: Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic today described UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan for the future of the Serbian province of Kosovo as disadvantageous for Serbia.

The final solution to the international position of Kosovo should be postponed, Gasparovic said.

He said that the province of Kosovo should remain under the supervision of the European Union and its status should be decided on later.

Gasparovic thus reacted to the plan that Ahtisaari delivered to Serbs in Belgrade and ethnic Albanians in Pristina last week. The plan that gives Kosovo independence in all but name and opens the door to genuine independence for Kosovo has been rejected by Serbia and hailed by ethnic Albanians.

"It is impossible in the 21st century to embed in an agreement conditions that are advantageous for one party and disadvantages for the other," Gasparovic said.

Kosovo is a debt that Europe and America should repay, he said.

After NATO's invasion of Serbia that was designed to protect Kosovo Albanians the allies forgot about the protection of Serbs, he said.

"Serbs want to conduct negotiations on Kosovo and it is necessary to provide them with this opportunity," Gasparovic said.

Gasparovic said that Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis's statement that the Serbian referendum on the new Serbian constitution was rigged was misunderstood and distorted.

He said that he discussed Slovakia's official position on Kosovo with Kubis on Wednesday and that he intended to meet Prime Minister Robert Fico after he returns from his visit to China.

Jan Slota, chairman of the governing Slovak National Party (SNS), rejected independence for Kosovo today.

Slota described Albanians as drug dealers and people traffickers.

The Slovak parliament should pass a resolution that would bind Slovak diplomacy to insist on that the borders in the Balkans should not be changed, Slota said.

Some deputies in the Slovak parliament said previously that independence for Kosovo would encourage the separatists efforts by the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.

The Slovak opposition parties - the Christian Democrats (KDH) and the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU-DS), today also rejected independence for Kosovo without Serbia's consent.

Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1815 gmt 8 Feb 07

Copyright 2007 British Broadcasting Corporation
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