Belgrade Anxious at Kosovo Sovereignty Decision

A senior Serbian official on Monday said a decision by the international body overseeing Kosovo to give the territory full sovereignty in September was bad news for its Serb minority.

"When any international mission in Kosovo leaves, it can mean a greater danger for both Serbs and Serbia," Oliver Ivanovic, Serbia's state secretary for Kosovo, told B92 television.

The decision of the International Steering Group (ISG) -- which includes the United States, Turkey and several EU members -- will mean the International Civilian Office led by Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith will be closed.

Feith has the power to annul laws put in place by the ethnic Albanian government and sanction or even sack politicians.

While Kosovo's Serb community rejected the 25-nation ISG "at the very beginning" and had little contact with it, "Any foreigner or foreign mission is better" as Serbs and Albanians "are not able to function" without international mediation, Ivanovic said.

The ISG's decision to end their international supervision does not affect the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force and European rule of law mission EULEX which will remain in place in Kosovo.