The Parliament of Serbia has adopted a resolution that, while not recognizing Kosovo's independence, is intended to protect the rights of Serbs living in the Albanian majority territory. The text was voted yesterday and had the backing of the majority of Serbian MPs, including those belonging to government parties and also those of the majority opposition party.

The resolution had been drafted by the Serbian government and was already known in December. According to the government's website, "the document stipulates that all future agreements with Pristina must be in line with the resolution". The stated goal of the Serbian government is to keep Kosovo within Serbia's boundaries, agree a very large self-government to this territory and create the Autonomous Community of Serb Municipalities, a territorial assembly for Kosovo Serb self-government that would include large powers, such as education, justice, culture, home affairs and others.

Serbian PM speaks about autonomy, admits Serbia is in difficult position

The idea of the Kosovo Serbian autonomous territory was explicitly voiced by Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic (left image; picture by Dragan Zebeljan) when he addressed the Parliament on Saturday. Even though, a reference to autonomy was finally not included in the text, as can be seen in the version that Serbian newspaper Blic has published. The resolution rather speaks about "creating conditions" so that the rights of Kosovo Serbs and other ethnic communities are respected.

The Serbian PM did not deliver a specially optimistic speech. Dacic admitted that "Serbian sovereignty in Kosovo is practically non-existent" now, since the majority of its territory is ruled by the Albanian majority institutions of Pristina.

Dacic urged MPs to follow a "realistic" approach in relation to Kosovo and made it clear that the autonomous status of Serbs within Kosovo would be a focal point. Not only by securing a high level of self-government for Kosovo Serbs, but also by getting a "separate" framework for the relationship between the Serb Orthodox Church and Kosovo institutions.