BELGRADE, March 26 (Hina) - With 220 votes for and one abstention, the Serbian parliament on Friday adopted a resolution on Kosovo and Metohija binding the Serbian government to prepare a proposal for a political solution to the
situation in the province.
BELGRADE, March 26 (Hina) - With 220 votes for and one abstention, the
Serbian parliament on Friday adopted a resolution on Kosovo and
Metohija binding the Serbian government to prepare a proposal for a
political solution to the situation in the province.#L#
"The proposal must be based on the position that Kosovo is an
inalienable part of Serbia and Serbia and Montenegro, that Serbs in
Kosovo must be given new constitutional guarantees regarding their
status and protection of their rights, and that Serbia must ensure
conditions for the survival, safety and return of Kosovo Serbs," reads
the resolution which was supported by all parliamentary parties.
The resolution defines the violence which occurred in Kosovo between
17 and 19 March as "ethnic cleansing which threatens the stability of
the entire region", and calls for "re-examining the UN policy in the
province".
The document also calls for respect for international law,
inviolability of borders, and the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
The international community is urged to "decisively" investigate the
crimes committed in the province and punish their perpetrators.
"The coexistence of Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo is impossible",
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said while introducing the
resolution, and called for Serb autonomy which would "create the
possibility of Albanians and Serbs living side by side".
The document also calls for the immediate reconstruction of houses,
churches and monasteries and stresses the need for introducing
efficient mechanisms to protect cultural and religious buildings in
Kosovo.
(Hina) rml