Yugoslavia Rejects U.N. Mission's Legal Framework on KosovoThe Yugoslav government refused to accept the legal framework regarding the future of Kosovo Thursday, charging that the document, being drafted under the direction of U. N. Administrator in the province Hans Haekkerup, has violated the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244.At a meeting on the current situation in Kosovo, the government said the legal framework has been forged by Haekkerup and representatives of ethnic Albanians. It only represents the stance of Albanian extremists rather than the wishes of non-Albanian people in the province, therefore, it can not guarantee equal co- existence of all ethnic people there. Representatives of ethnic Albanians have demanded a referendum on Kosovo's independence from Serbia be written into the legal framework, but Haekkerup said Thursday, "It is not an institution I will recommend to anybody," but he added that he hoped the legal framework would be completed "as soon as possible" to allow general elections by the end of the year, a move the Yugoslav government opposes. The government appealed to the U.N special mission to respect the legitimate rights of non-Albanians in drawing up the document, and demanded the U.N. mission act in accordance with U.N. Resolution 1244 to remove the illegal customs it established on the border area between Kosovo and the Serbian republic border. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |