http://en.rian.ru/world/20070420/64082131.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
April 20, 2007
Kosovo to gain independence in May - PM
-Some Western countries have said violence would be
inevitable if Kosovo failed to secure independence.
But Sergei Lavrov said it was nothing but "blackmail."
"The view that partitioning a sovereign state can
bring stability to the region is totally illogical,"
he said.
BELGADE - There will be no more negotiations on
Kosovo's status, and the UN will adopt a resolution
granting it full independence in May, the prime
minister of Serbia's breakaway province said Friday.
"Russia may demand new negotiations as much as it
likes, but neither we nor other parties involved are
prepared for that," Agim Ceku said.
He said he was convinced that Kosovo would become an
independent state before the end of May, when the UN
Security Council adopts a resolution.
"Some permanent members of the Security Council may
abstain from the vote, but in the last few days of
May, Kosovo will acquire independence," he said.
Russia's foreign minister said earlier Friday efforts
to push through a UN plan granting Kosovo supervised
independence is an attempt to impose a one-sided
solution on the region.
The plan proposed by Martti Ahtisaari proposes
internationally supervised sovereignty for Kosovo. As
a veto-wielding UN Security Council member and
long-time Serb ally, Russia is opposed to the
proposal.
Some Western countries have said violence would be
inevitable if Kosovo failed to secure independence.
But Sergei Lavrov said it was nothing but "blackmail."
"The view that partitioning a sovereign state can
bring stability to the region is totally illogical,"
he said.
Lavrov reiterated his appeal for direct negotiations
between Kosovo and Serbia, and for a solution that
would satisfy both Kosovar and Serbian authorities.
During the first round of UN consultations on the
Ahtisaari plan April 3, only four out of 15 permanent
member-states at the UN Security Council voted for
Kosovo's sovereignty.
As an alternative to the Ahtisaari plan, Moscow
proposed sending a UN mission to Kosovo and Belgrade
before continuing talks on Kosovo's status.
The UN Security Council backed Russia's initiative
April 13, and the UN mission is expected to visit
Belgrade April 25-26 and Pristina April 27-28, the
Serbian Tanjug news agency has said, citing UN
diplomatic sources.
The Serbian government reacted strongly Tuesday to
recent comments by a U.S. administration official
concerning independence for Kosovo.
Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political
affairs, said Monday that if the UN Security Council
does not adopt a new resolution on Kosovo granting the
province independence, the U.S. would unilaterally
support a declaration by Kosovo's Albanian authorities
on separation from Serbia.
"The U.S. position is in favor of full independence
for Kosovo, which was enunciated by Nicholas Burns,
runs counter to UN Security Council Resolution 1244,
enshrining Serbia's territorial integrity," the
Serbian government said in a statement.
It said any unilateral recognition of Kosovo's
independence is a gross violation of the UN Charter.
Serbia is strongly opposed to independence for the
province, which is dominated by ethnic Albanians, but
the United States and the European Union have
expressed support for sovereignty.
Kosovo, which has a population of two million, has
been a UN protectorate since NATO's 78-day bombing
campaign against the former Yugoslavia ended a war
between Serb forces and Albanian separatists in 1999.
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
