JURIST - Paper Chase: Kosovo parliament votes for UN-supervised independence

[JURIST] Kosovo's parliament voted 100-1 Thursday in support of a UN plan to establish an independent Kosovar state under UN supervision. The plan was drafted by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari [advocacy profile], who believes independence from Serbia with international supervision "the only viable option" for Kosovo.

The plan needs the approval of the UN Security Council [official website] before it can progress. Ahtisaari went before the Security Council on Tuesday, where he faced skepticism from the Russian delegation that the plan would protect the rights of Kosovo's Serbian population. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, however, said [press release] the UN plan was a "fair and sustainable solution to Kosovo’s future status." Ahtisaari's plan calls for the creation of a constitution which would theoretically protect the rights of all ethnic groups [JURIST report], emphasizing their cultures, languages and religions. Kosovo's two million inhabitants consist of roughly 1.5 million ethnic Albanians, 100,000 Serbs, and smaller populations of Bosnians, Turks and other ethnic groups. These groups would all be represented in the judiciary, police and political institutions, which would be monitored by an EU Mission in Kosovo[official website]. AP has more.

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