Global Policy Forum

By William M. Reilly

Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica -- after telling Secretary-General Kofi Annan Tuesday of his concerns over U.N. blueprints being drawn for Kosovo's future -- said Belgrade seeks a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, self-ruled region where the rights of minorities are ensured.

Earlier in the day the secretary-general met with his special representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, and the special envoy for the Balkans Carl Bildt. Haekkerup briefs the Security Council on Kosovo Wednesday. A spokesman for Annan, Fred Eckhard, said the discussion with Kostunica had been "sober and positive." The president had expressed his concerns on the legal framework for Kosovo and the secretary-general responded that he expected those concerns would be discussed in Haekkerup's continuing consultations with Yugoslav authorities, the spokesman said.

Work on the legal framework, Eckhard said, has not been finished. Haekkerup continues to seek the specific concerns of Kosovo's minorities. The spokesman added that the legal framework would be a "blueprint for the way forward," and would pave the way for possible local elections.

"Our intentions are to have a multi-ethnic and multicultural Kosovo within the framework of the Security Council resolution," which would enable U.N. administration of the Yugoslavian province, Kostunica told reporters. He said the rights of minorities -- in Kosovo that means the Serb minority -- "is the test for any democratic order." "We are looking forward for such an arrangement with Kosovo," he said. "We are looking forward to the situation in which Kosovo would be without acts of violence, killings and so on."

Kostunica said his government was proposing "some sort of consensual democracy model instead of parliamentary majority democratic order, which would not function in the case of Kosovo where there is an overwhelming Albanian majority and small Serbian and non-Albanian minorities."

The Yugoslav president said he and Annan also touched on the problem of missing persons, prisoners and the displaced.

On the Yugoslav federation, Kostunica said, "We expressed, actually, our intention to find the solution for a democratic Montenegro in a democratic Yugoslavia and once again repeated the idea of a minimal but functional federation." He explained that as meaning a federal state "where both Serbia and Montenegro would have a high degree of autonomy. Where the federal authorities would be small but effective, efficient and functional. In all that respect, I think that we found common interest. It is in the interest of the United Nations that this country survives and the surviving of this country means that stability and peace in the region would survive."

Kostunica was told Human Rights Watch had suggested he reconsider turning over former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague. He then was asked if that was "totally out of the question?" He replied that it "is (a) possibility. And I would say even more than possibility, what is a future reality." The president added, "I would facilitate and support the enactment of a law of cooperation with The Hague tribunal."

Kostunica explained that the Yugoslav federal parliament was discussing such a measure. "That is important, actually, to have legally regulated cooperation with The Hague Tribunal and that is something that I will be working on," he said. "Without those legal provisions, it would not be possible to have normal and developing relations with The Hague Tribunal. We are very aware of our international obligations, including those with The Hague tribunal but we need (a) legal frame for that cooperation at this moment."