Parlement Servië verwerpt VN-plan Kosovo (en)

Serbia's parliament has strongly rejected a UN-fostered plan that paves the way to independence for the breakaway province of Kosovo.

The 250-member parliament on Wednesday (14 February) voted 225-15 to reject the plan, drafted by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, dashing hopes that a compromise will be worked out between the Serbs and the Kosovo Albanians.

According to AP news agency, the parliament adopted a resolution saying that the Ahtisaari blueprint "breaches fundamental principles of international law" and "illegally lays the foundation for the creation of a new independent state on the territory of Serbia."

The parliament rejection comes just days after the EU gave a strong signal that it could consider relaxing its demand that war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic be delivered to the UN tribunal in The Hague before it reopens preliminary membership talks with Serbia, known as the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

The signal is being widely seen as a quid pro quo on the Kosovo issue, with the EU hoping eventual membership would be enough of a carrot to persuade Serbia to look with more of a favourable eye on the UN plan for Kosovo.

But Serbia's acting prime minister Vojislav Kostunica, whose party is essential for the formation of a new coalition government with the moderate Democratic Party of President Boris Tadic, was unequivocal.

The UN plan "wants to dismember Serbia and grab 15 percent of its territory," he said.

Next week will see the final round of negotiations start in Vienna on the UN proposal after which Mr Ahtisaari will put his fiinal plan to the UN security council.

The Finnish diplomat has previously warned that it is likely to end up as an imposed UN resolution with both sides unable to reach a compromise.

But the UN security council vote is also fraught with difficulties. Russia, a veto-wielding member of the body, has already said it will not back a solution that is not supported by Belgrade, warning that that the Kosovo model could be used as a precedent for other territories in other parts of the world.

The parliament vote was the first act of its maiden session since elections on 21 January. Since then Serbia has been struggling to form a coalition government, with Brussels pushing for the formation of an EU-friendly leadership.

Kosovo has been a UN protectorate since 1999 when NATO bombing ended a crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in the province by former Serb president Slobodan Milosevic.

The UN plan does not explicitly ask for independence but gives Kosovo the right to apply to join international organisations as well as its own flag, anthem and constitution.