News | Serbian Unity Congress

February 11, 2008 on 6:41 am | In Kosovo & Metohija, News in English |

MUNICH, February 9 (Itar-Tass) - State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev said it “will be absolutely illegal” to replace the U.N. contingent in Kosovo by the EU mission.

Speaking at the 44th Munich Conference on Security Policy on Saturday, Kosachev said, “If the U.N. contingent in Kosovo is replaced by the EU mission Russia will submit this issue to the U.N. Security Council and use the veto right.”

“The possible replacement of the mission in Kosovo is absolutely illegal because neither Serbia nor Kosovo are members of the European Union,” Kosachev told Itar-Tass. “We should raise this question in the U.N. Security Council if the European Union violates the U.N. Charter, Resolution 1244 and use the veto right,” he said.

“I’m convinced that the problem of separatism in Kosovo will not be raised if eight years ago Washington and Brussels give a strict signal to Kosovar separatists on granting the province independence,” Kosachev pointed out. He stressed, “By giving support from outside Kosovar separatists are now under external control…”

The Duma lawmaker said he is sure that if there was no “external support there will be neither February 17 nor self-proclamation of independence”.

In his view, at present the warring sides have means to overcome the conflict. “This is the proposal of Serbia (Kosovo is part of Serbia), the programmes of accession to the EU, the formation of a delegation to be led by Belgrade politicians and with the participation of Kosovo’s representatives and the talks,” Kosachev said.

In his opinion, “If after Serbia’s admission to the EU the problem of Kosovo’s independence remained on the agenda this would be the EU matter. Then the problem of independence would disappear or become less painful.” But now “the process went too far… The EU had a chance, but the choice was wrong,” Kosachev said.

He forecast that on February 17, “Kosovo will not give the status of full independence”. At the same time, Kosachev said Russia “worked out its position if Kosovo was given independence”.

Related posts:

• The recognition game, The Guardian
• Revenge of the Balkans, The National Interest
• Georgia On My Mind, antiwar.com
• From Kosovo to Georgia, The Guardian
• Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo: An Abbreviated History, Richard Jansen (Colorado State University)