Belgian foreign minister pledges financial support for reform of local gov't in Kosovo

AP, May 31, 2005 11:43 AM

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro-Belgium''s foreign minister said his country will support financially the reform of local government in Kosovo, one of the preconditions for this disputed U.N.-run province to begin talks on its future.

Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht made the comments following separate meetings with Kosovo''s President Ibrahim Rugova and Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi. He also met with the province''s top U.N. administrator Soren Jessen-Petersen.

Kosovo is attempting to reform local government in the province by creating a number of new and smaller municipalities to bring power closer to its people and ensure minorities have a greater say in areas where they live.

This process has been harshly criticized by the province''s opposition party, who allege that the process might lead to division of Kosovo along ethnic lines.

Kosovo is legally part of Serbia-Montenegro, the union that replaced Yugoslavia. But it has been under U.N. and NATO control since a 78-day NATO-led air war halted a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999, and its future political status is undetermined.

The ethnic Albanian majority insists on independence, while the Serb minority seeks to remain part of Serbia-Montenegro.

International officials have made talks on the province''s future status conditional on progress in eight sectors, including establishing functioning democratic institutions, reform of local government, protection of minorities, promotion of economic development, and ensuring rule of law, freedom of movement and property rights.

Also Tuesday, Ireland''s Defense Minister Willie O''Dea visited his country''s soldiers, who serve as part of the 17,000 strong NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo. He inspected more than 200 Irish troops based in the central Kosovo town of Lipljan, some 15 kilometers (10 miles) west of Pristina.