Serbia’s parliament has passed a law which paves the way for a controversial property development led by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in the capital Belgrade.<\/p>\n
His firm Affinity Partners has sought to build a luxury hotel and apartment complex on the site of the former Yugoslav Army headquarters.<\/p>\n
The ruined building, which was bombed by Nato forces in 1999 during its intervention to stop Serbia’s military campaign in Kosovo, has symbolic value to some who view it as a memorial and symbol of ongoing opposition to the military alliance.<\/p>\n
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, who has pursued close ties with Trump, backed the plans despite protests and legal challenges.<\/p>\n
Last year, the Serbian government stripped the building of its protected status and agreed a 99-year lease with Kushner’s firm, which had set out plans for a $500m (\u00a3379.9m) development. <\/p>\n
The decision triggered demonstrations and led to an investigation into whether a Serbian official had forged documentation used during the process to change the building’s status.<\/p>\n
In a conversation with the BBC in June, Vucic defended the proposal, saying “it’s important to overcome the burden from 1999”. <\/p>\n
He continued: “We are ready to build better relations with the US \u2013 I think that is terribly important for this country.”<\/p>\n
The stalled planning process came to a head on Friday when Vucic’s party – which has a majority in parliament – pushed ahead with a special vote on clearing the site and won.<\/p>\n
Opposition politicians have labelled the decision unconstitutional, including Aleksandar Jovanovic, who described it as a crime, and told the AFP news agency that the landmark would be replaced with “casinos and Jacuzzis”. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, centre-left MP Marinika Tepic\u010b said the government was sacrificing the country’s history “to please Trump”, Politico reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The passage of the law has also been criticised by architectural experts, and comes after Transparency Serbia, an anti-corruption organisation, raised concerns about state-backed developments. <\/p>\n According to Serbian media reports pre-dating his first presidential run, Trump has previously considered building a hotel in Belgrade.<\/p>\n