Kosovo's leaders reject Serbian proposal for partition

PRISTINA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiuand Prime Minister Hashim Thaci on Tuesday rejected Serbia's proposal for partition of Kosovo along ethnic lines.

"Kosovo is independent and any eventual Belgrade proposal for partition is not accepted for Kosovo institutions," Sejdiu said.

Earlier this month, Serbian Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic submitted a "plan for functional separation of Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo" to the U.N. Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), proposing to divide Kosovo between its minority Serbs in the north and the dominant ethnic Albanians.

According to the proposal made public on Monday, the Serbian government recognizes the U.N.'s authority in Kosovo, but insists only Serbs can control the police, judiciary and customs services in parts of Kosovo where Serbs are a majority.

Sejdiu said Pristina did not have any other answers to such proposals, because Kosovo is "an integral and a unique country."

"I know there are difficulties in the north, but we'll invest together with UNMIK, EULEX (upcoming 'EU Mission in Law') and NATOto ensure safety and security, which is in the interest of the region," said Sejdiu.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci also ruled out the plan.

"Belgrade's proposals for Kosovo are unaccepted, refused, and unimplemented in Kosovo," Thaci told reporters in Pristina.

UNMIK officials said it is not the mission's authority to analyze such a plan and therefore it sent the plan to New York for eventual analysis. Kosovo leaders said the plan was not a topic for discussion in their meetings with UNMIK officials.

Some 3,000 Kosovo Serbs held a large rally Tuesday in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, demanding the return of Russian peacekeeping troops to the Serb-populated areas of Kosovo.

Russia has strongly supported Serbia in opposing Kosovo's Feb. 17 declaration of independence, which has been recognized by the United States and most EU members.

Kosovo's Serbs clashed with U.N. police and NATO troops in the northern, Serb part of Mitrovica on March 17, leaving a U.N. policeman dead and dozens more injured.