Belgrade, 7 March 2003 (RFE/RL) -- Serbia's prime minister said in comments published today that the UN-run province of Kosovo should be divided into Serbian and ethnic Albanian parts. Zoran Djindjic told today's edition of the "Vecernje Novosti" daily that he would like "to see Kosovo as a federation" of the two parts, based on the UN-proposed model for Cyprus. He said such an arrangement should include what he called "a civilized form of population transfer."
Such a Kosovo federation should have "asymmetrical ties" with the rest of Serbia, and the province's Serbs and ethnic Albanians should live in their separate entities, Djindjic proposed, without elaborating.
Djindjic is the first Serbian politician to publicly propose a division of Kosovo -- the ethnic Albanian-dominated province which Serbs consider a cradle of their history and culture.
Such a Kosovo federation should have "asymmetrical ties" with the rest of Serbia, and the province's Serbs and ethnic Albanians should live in their separate entities, Djindjic proposed, without elaborating.
Djindjic is the first Serbian politician to publicly propose a division of Kosovo -- the ethnic Albanian-dominated province which Serbs consider a cradle of their history and culture.