By Beth Potter
ReutersMay 16, 2001
Kosovo Albanian leaders said yesterday they would support a UN plan which paves the way for elections but complained it did not include the possibility of a referendum on independence. UN governor Hans Haekkerup unveiled on Monday his blueprint for self-governing institutions for Kosovo and set November 17 as the date for elections to a provincial assembly.
Leaders of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority made clear their parties would take part in the election to a 120-seat assembly. But they said not including a provision to allow a referendum on the province's final status was a mistake. "Our main dispute is with the referendum question, but we will support this document," said Ibrahim Rugova, leader of the moderate Democratic League of Kosovo party, which took more than 60 percent of seats in municipal elections last year. "This document will hold hostage the aim of the people, which is independence," Hashim Thaci, a former Kosovo Liberation Army leader who is now head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, said just before Haekkerup signed the document yesterday. "For me, the will of the people of Kosovo is a law beyond the law."
Haekkerup yesterday restated his stance that he does not have the power to allow Kosovars to vote on independence. "This does not address final political settlement, but I think it's a stepping stone to reach a final agreement at some later stage," the Danish former defense minister said.
Kosovo was placed under UN rule in June 1999 after NATO bombing to end Serb repression of the ethnic Albanian majority. Under a UN Security Council resolution, the territory legally remains part of Serb-dominated Yugoslavia. But the UN administration has a mandate to implement substantial self-government pending agreement on Kosovo's final status at some unspecified future date. Kosovo Albanians overwhelmingly favor independence.
Voters in November are to elect a new assembly with 120 members and a presidency of seven. Some 20 assembly seats will be set aside for Serbs and other minorities. The assembly will elect a president, who will nominate a prime minister. All three main Kosovo Albanian leaders said they hoped to be candidates for president if chosen by their parties.
Kosovo Serbs had also criticized Haekkerup's plans, saying they would give de facto independence to a province they want to remain part of Yugoslavia and Serbia, its dominant republic. A Kosovo Serb representative attended a final discussion on the governance document but chose not to attend the signing ceremony, said Susan Manuel, a United Nations spokeswoman.
After the new government is in place, UN administrators will "step back," Haekkerup said. But the UN governor will remain in ultimate control, retaining powers such as being able to dissolve the assembly.