Albania on Tuesday dismissed a provision of Serbia's new
constitution which reaffirms the former Yugoslav republic's
sovereignty over Kosovo.
In a statement, the Albanian foreign ministry said Serbia put
the new constitution to a referendum at a time when the
international community is consulting on the final status of
Kosovo.
Such a move taken by Belgrade is "unilateral and unconducive to
the solution of the issue (of Kosovo)," the statement said, adding
that Tirana could not accept the provision.
The new constitution, drafted after the dissolution of the union
of Serbia and Montenegro, was cleared in a referendum held over the
weekend. The legislation stipulates that Kosovo is an integral part
of Serbian territory and Serbia has territorial sovereignty over
the region.
Kosovo, formerly an autonomous province of Serbia, has been
under the administration of a UN special mission since June 1998
when Yugoslav troops left the region after months of NATO air
strikes. Since then, thousands of NATO troops have stationed in
Kosovo to provide security.
Negotiations on the final status of Kosovo have been underway
under the auspices of the United Nations since the end of 2005, but
have as yet failed to achieve any substantive progress.
Serbia hopes to maintain its sovereignty over Kosovo, where the
ethnic Albanians, demand full independence of the region, located
in southwestern Serbia.
(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2006)
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