Yugoslav leader urges Kosovo Serbs to vote
( 2001-11-03 10:21) (7)
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica appealed early Saturday to the Serb minority living in Kosovo to take part in elections this month in the predominantly ethnic Albanian province.
"We had sessions of both (Yugoslav and Serbian) governments and we concluded that, despite all the difficulties, it is better for the Serbs in Kosovo to take part in these elections on November 17," Kostunica said in a televised address.
The decision followed marathon talks in Belgrade with UN administrator in Kosovo Hans Haekkerup, who urged Belgrade leaders to encourage the Serbs to vote.
Voters in Kosovo will elect a 120-member parliament in the UN-administered province in southern Serbia, the larger of the two republics that form today's Yugoslavia.
But there has been uncertainty over the participation of members of the Serb minority, which has been the target of attacks by Albanian extremists.
Both Belgrade and Kosovo Serb leaders have linked their participation to a return of refugees and an improvement in security and living conditions for minority groups.
Belgrade has also been demanding UN guarantees that Kosovo will not declare independence from Yugoslavia after the vote, something the majority of its ethnic Albanian population have called for.
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