News | Serbian Unity Congress

November 21, 2007 on 5:01 am | In Kosovo & Metohija, News in English |

BRUSSELS, BERLIN — Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko says that it is regrettable that Priština is not interested in anything but independence.

The Russian representative to the international mediating Troika said that the Kosovo status negotiations would continue and that no-one should give up on them.

“Their position is always the same, Kosovo independence, and what we had before the elections still remains. It is regrettable that the Kosovo side is firmly demanding independence and is not interested in discussing any other options,” he said.

Not wishing to comment on the possibility of a unilateral proclamation of Kosovo independence bypassing the United Nations Security Council, Kharchenko said that certain western countries’ intentions to find a formula for making the proclamation viable were pointless, as no legally acceptable formula existed.

“The Serbs presented their proposals for Kosovo autonomy in great detail, drawing parallels with Chinese Hong Kong. The Serbian delegation tried to give concrete examples that the model for widespread autonomy was effective and functional. Unfortunately, the Kosovo Albanians are refusing to discuss it further,” Kharchenko said.

He said that the Kosovo Albanians were not willing to discuss anything outside the independence plan proposed by UN Kosovo Envoy Martti Ahtisaari, and that they were only interested in discussing cooperation agreements with Serbia.

The Russian diplomat said that the Troika had not given any official proposals and that the sides had all agreed to continue searching for missing persons from the 1999 Kosovo conflict.

Germany and Italy for united EU stance on Kosovo

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi want to adopt a coordinated solution for Kosovo and the EU to come to a consensus on the matter.

“We want to do everything we can to reach a coordinated and harmonized European stance,” Merkel said after a meeting with Prodi.

According to the German government website, Merkel stressed that the future solution needed to be “as harmonious as possible between Serbia and Kosovo.”

Germany and Italy want the negotiation process to continue as constructively as possible until the end and to avoid conflicts, according to internet news hub Netzeitung.

The site quoted Prodi as saying that “Serbia must clearly state that it has a future within the EU.”

Germany warned the Kosovo Albanians on Monday against a unilateral proclamation of independence.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that “there would be many losers after such a move” and that “a negotiated solution would be better for both sides.”

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“EU unity over Kosovo unlikely”

WAHINGTON — An adviser to the U.S. Congress’s Helsinki Commission doesn’t think the EU will reach a consensus over Kosovo by December 10.

However, Robert Hand added that a considerable majority would then come out in favor of a particular solution, probably based on UN Envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s plan.

Speaking to Voice of America, he said that “European countries often base their decisions on historical affinities to one side or another, or from the point of view of their own internal problems if, for example, they have separatist movements on their own territory.”

“I think that the situation with December 10 is nonetheless sufficiently important, and that if no agreement is reached, a solid majority of EU member-states will come out in favor of a particular solution, most probably in line with the Ahtisaari Plan,” added Hand.

As far as the U.S.’s position was concerned, he said that everything up to now had suggested that their stand was fairly firm and came down to the Ahtisaari Plan and supervised independence, along with a series of guarantees for minorities.

“I don’t think that position will change… the U.S. and its European allies, faced with threat of the Russian UN veto, consented to an additional 120 days of negotiations” stated Hand.

“Once the deadline expires, I don’t think there can be any further justification for postponement. It wouldn’t get us anywhere and would merely lead to greater instability on both sides. I think the U.S. realizes that and that they’re pretty firm on where they think Kosovo should go,” said the Helsinki Commission adviser.

Following statements from Democratic Party of Kosovo leader and Prime Minister elect Hasim Thaci that independence would be declared straight after December 10, Hand said that “everyone knows independence cannot be declared in a vacuum,” and that, “it is clear that further efforts will have to be made in order to exhaust all possibilities before we reach a unilateral declaration of independence.”

“I think Priština leaders are aware of this. They are faced with internal pressure to go further… but I think Thaci and others know that they could miss their opportunity if they make the wrong move,” he stressed.

The Helsinki Commission adviser added that Russia’s opposition to Kosovo independence and a possible UN resolution accepting independence “rather concerns” the U.S. administration and Congress.

“There’s a genuine chance of matters coming to a head over Kosovo. I think that Russia really might block any UN action, though such a move would be wrong,” stressed Hand, adding that if the UN was blocked from taking action, it would considerably undermine the organization’s authority.

Related posts:

• Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo: An Abbreviated History, Richard Jansen (Colorado State University)
• Revenge of the Balkans, The National Interest
• The Chains That Bind: Constitutions, then and now, antiwar.com (Nebojsa Malic)
• Georgia and Kosovo: A Single Intertwined Crisis, Stratfor
• China: Italian Foreign Minister vows support for Serbia, AKI