The Serbian government has denounced a United Nations mediator's plan for the future of Kosovo as contrary to international law.
In a resolution to be presented to lawmakers the government said the proposal ignores the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. But the document acknowledged that Serbian representatives will meet with U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari in Vienna February 21 for talks on the proposal.
The Ahtisaari plan would grant the province internationally supervised self-rule, but makes no mention of demands by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority for full independence.
Earlier Tuesday U.N. officials in Kosovo expressed concern over participation of people from outside the Serbian province in demonstrations in Pristina Saturday by ethnic Albanian opponents of the plan that left two people dead. The officials did not identify the origin of the foreign protesters, but news reports from Kosovo indicated they were from Macedonia.
International police say the two victims were hit by rubber bullets as officers sought to restrain several thousand demonstrators who broke through security lines outside Kosovo's parliament building.
The protesters, members of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian group Self-Determination, were demanding independence without further negotiations for the U.N.-administered province. A judge in Pristina today ordered the leader of the group, Albin Kurti, held in detention for 30 days.
Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999 after NATO air strikes drove Serbian and Yugoslav security forces out of the province following a deadly crackdown on ethnic Albanians.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
