Pristina, 22 Feb (B92) - Kosovo government has adopted a plan for decentralization of authorities in Kosovo. This plan also includes forming of five new municipalities in Kosovo.

According to the plan Gracanica, Partes, General Jankovic, Junik, and Mamusha, are areas which after the reforms should grow into new Kosovo municipalities. Ramush Haradinaj, the Kosovo premier, announced that the pilot project for forming the new municipalities is not moving towards forming of cantons in Kosovo, but is more striving towards disbanding the parallel structures and normal operating of institutions, which is in Kosovo interest.

In the areas chosen for testing of the first pilot projects of new municipalities Serbs, Albanians and Turks, will compile a majority of the citizens. With this project Serbs will have the opportunity to form new municipalities in Gracanica near Pristina, and Partesh near Gnjilane. Albanians will implement the pilot project in General Jankovic near Kacanik, and in Junik near Decan, while Turks will have the possibility to form a new municipal unit in the village of Mamusha near Prizren.

Opposition parties in Kosovo have opposed the decentralization plan, demanding that reforms of the local government be followed by law regulations. Haradinaj explained that the adopted plan for decentralization is done on the basis of the framework plan compiled by experts of the Kosovo government, UNMIK, the Council of Europe, and USAID.

After the government session, the premier stated the adopted document contains two important aspects. First is the immediate forming of pilot projects for new municipal units, and the other aspect is preparation of the necessary legislation, which would insure continuing of reforms in the local government.

Lutfi Haziri, Kosovo government minister for local governing, stated that in the initial pilot projects there will be no ethnic leads, or changes of the existing municipal borders.

In Belgrade, Oliver Ivanovic, a representative in the Kosovo government, stated that the planned project for decentralization will increase the number of municipalities from the current 30 to 75 or 80, emphasizing that Kosovo Serbs will not be satisfied with the Kosovo government intent that in the reforms of the local governing Serbs get five or six new municipalities.

Currently Kosovo Serbs are majority in five province municipalities. It is expected that this week the plan for decentralization will be sent to the Kosovo parliament where it will be discussed.