Serbs' Kosovo vote in question

Kosovo Serbs demand protection from possible reprisals

By Alix Kroeger in Belgrade

The head of the United Nations mission in Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, is in Belgrade for talks which could determine whether Kosovo Serbs take part in the province's forthcoming elections.

With less than a month to polling day on 17 November, the Yugoslav authorities are running out of time to decide whether or not Kosovo Serbs should take part.

More than 200,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo

The elections are a painful issue for the authorities in Belgrade - a reminder that for now the UN-administered province is out of their jurisdiction.

In the two-and-a-half years since the end of the Nato bombing and the arrival of international peacekeepers, more than 200,000 Serbs have left Kosovo.

Those who remain live in difficult conditions, restricted to isolated enclaves and vulnerable to attacks by Albanian extremists.

Risk of being sidelined

A declaration adopted by the Serbian Government lists three main concerns - security, resolving the fate of the missing and freedom of movement.

The authorities in Belgrade want new guarantees from the UN mission in Kosovo, but the UN has come up with its own set of conditions, including recognition of the international authorities and acceptance of Kosovo's temporary constitutional framework.

The two sides appear to be edging closer together. The UN is keen to avoid a Serb boycott, while Belgrade is seeking to keep the international community on its side.

Belgrade's reluctance to recognise the elections may be outweighed by the fear that Kosovo Serbs could be sidelined altogether - left out of the plans for the province's future and unable to make themselves heard.

But with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica among those most likely to oppose participation, nothing can be taken for granted.