51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Students from the "Serbianised" 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Pristina have established their own "independent union", the agenda of which includes dialogue with their ethnic-Albanian opposite numbers from the "alternative" Albanian-taught university. Since 1991, this has been operating from makeshift premises.

The new union has likewise called for the commission - set up under the auspices of the Italian lay Catholic St Egidio Foundation in August 1996 - to speed up its efforts towards resolving the problem of education in Kosovo - in other words, negotiating a phased return of ethnic Albanians to their official classrooms and restoring Albanian-taught education in Kosovo.

The new union's attitude is not supported by their university rector, Radivoje Popovic. "Parallel Albanian-taught education", he said in a TV interview, "is the greatest threat to Serbia", since it "encourages a separatist fundamentalist disposition".