Serbian parliament to discuss statute of Vojvodina on Friday

BELGRADE - The draft statute of Vojvodina, to be discussed by the Serbian parliament on Friday, does not diminish the autonomy of the province and will be adopted in the form proposed by the Assembly of Vojvodina, Serbian Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic said on Tuesday.

The Serbian parliament will give its opinion on the draft statute, while the document is to be adopted by the provincial assembly, which will discuss it on Wednesday, she said.

"The Serbian parliament has no right to table amendments, and it will be approved here in the form in which it is adopted in the Assembly of Vojvodina," Gojkovic told reporters in the Serbian parliament building.

The statute now complies with last December's Constitutional Court decision declaring some of its provisions unconstitutional, but none of the solutions proposed diminish the province's autonomy, she said.

The political and legal crisis in the country has thus been overcome, the Serbian parliament speaker said, adding that the task force working on the matter had only a few dilemmas, which concerned Novi Sad, the provincial capital under the present statute.

The proposed amendments to the statute designate the city as the administrative centre of the provincial authorities, Gojkovic said.

Regarding the flag and coat of arms, a decision has been made to retain the official symbols and add some traditional ones, she said.

Photo Tanjug, Z. Zestic