Serbia Offers Kosovo Autonomy

Kosovo's Serbian delegates, Leon Kojen (left) and Slobodan Samardzic, at status talks in Vienna, February 20 (epa) May 30, 2006 -- Serbia today proposed a new compromise plan on the future status of Kosovo, offering the province wide autonomy but not independence.

Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian majority is seeking to break away from Serbia, but Serbia insists that it will not accept independence for the UN-administered province.

Under the new plan, Serbia foresees the UN remaining in charge of security in Kosovo for at least 20 years. Kosovo would have a right to its own police force, but not a military, and would be "financially autonomous" but would not be involved in foreign affairs.

Kosovo's top ethnic-Albanian negotiator in talks with the Serbian government has already rejected the proposal as "unacceptable and unrealistic."

(AP, dpa)

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