Backdoor diplomacy tests Kosovo partition-paper

BELGRADE, Sep 11 (Reuters) Serbia may be quietly exploring the idea of partitioning the breakaway province of Kosovo along ethnic lines, a Kosovo Albanian newspaper reported today.

Koha Ditore quoted an unnamed source as saying Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, while leading a tireless diplomatic offensive to block Kosovo's independence, is secretly testing whether Western capitals would endorse partition.

''Over the last few weeks, Kostunica has sent his personal envoy to European Union capitals, unofficially to shop around the idea of partition,'' it quoted its source as saying.

It named him as businessman Vojin Lazarevic who is close to Kostunica and a major sponsor of his party. It said Lazarevic was in Rome on September 5 and 6, and would visit other EU capitals.

The paper said Kostunica did not entrust the mission to Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, a member of the rival Democratic Party (DS), because he ''is afraid it could be used as political ammunition against him and his Democratic Party of Serbia''.

Jeremic, on his way to China, told Reuters he strongly doubted there was any truth in the paper's story. Lazarevic's office told Reuters it was preparing to issue a formal denial.

Partition on ethnic lines is officially a taboo subject in the search for compromise between Serbia's rejection of Kosovo independence and the 90 per cent Albanian majority's demand for statehood, after spending 8 years under United Nations rule.

But if the alternative were a full-blown diplomatic crisis, involving a major test of wills between Russia and the United States, it could be presented as the 'lesser of two evils'.

Kosovo is already split between 2 million Albanians who occupy most of the land and 50,000 Serbs who live in a northern triangle, supported by Serbia as a self-sufficient society.

There are also 60,000 more Serbs living in isolated enclaves among the Albanians, protected by NATO troops.

The European Union, Russia and United States say partition would be an unwelcome solution. But they also say they would accept any deal the Serbs and Albanians are able to agree on.

Today, the US embassy in Belgrade underscored Washington's commitment to fresh talks on Kosovo which started two weeks ago and which have until December 10 to find a solution.

''During this period of engagement, the United States is prepared to accept any outcome to which the parties agree,'' the embassy said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said much the same on August 31. Partition is pointedly not excluded.

After talks end ''no later than'' December 10, ''Kosovo's status needs to be clarified promptly'', the US embassy said. If there is no agreement ''then we, along with many of our international partners, believe that UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan, including his recommendation of supervised independence for Kosovo, remains the best way forward''.

REUTERS SBC BST1937