http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.1090460345
ADN Kronos International (Italy) July 9, 2007 Kosovo: UN to hold talks on stalled status plan amid threats of violence -The Serbian Government has denied any progress is being made in Kosovo, pointing out that over 200,000 Serbs have fled the province since 1999. According to the International Red Cross, up to 3,000 have been killed or listed as missing. -[V]eterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which started a rebellion against Serbian rule in 1998, said the ethnic Albanian negotiating team should not tolerate any delays. "On the contrary, we, the war veterans of KLA, will be forced to act like soldiers of KLA and the consequences will bear [will be the responsibility of?] the institutions," it said in a statement. -[US assistant secretary of state for European affairs Daniel] Fried said the present situation in Kosovo was untenable and Kosovo had to become independent as "the last act" of disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. Belgrade - The United Nations Security Council is to hold talks on the future of Kosovo on Monday, amid fresh threats of violence by majority ethnic Albanians demanding independence. In a report to the Security Council, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said the progress achieved in Kosovo since the province was placed under UN control in 1999, would be destroyed if a decision on its future was prolonged indefinitely. "If the future status of the province remains undefined, there is a risk that the progress achieved by the UN and the Kosovo provisional institutions will start to crumble," Ban said. A proposal by the chief UN negotiator Martti Ahtisaari to grant Kosovo phased independence has been opposed by Russia, which has a veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council. Western powers led by the United States, which supports independence, are searching for a way out of the deadlock. Ban said despite stalled negotiations, the expectations of ethnic Albanians for independence remained "very high" and the Security Council should step up its attempts to find a solution. Belgrade, which opposes Kosovo independence, has rejected Ahtisaari's plan and is calling for fresh negotiations without his involvement. The Serbian Government has denied any progress is being made in Kosovo, pointing out that over 200,000 Serbs have fled the province since 1999. According to the International Red Cross, up to 3,000 have been killed or listed as missing. There are concerns about the human rights of the Serbian minority and their freedom of movement. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Moscow media on Monday as saying that no resolution on Kosovo could be adopted by the Security Council if it wasn't acceptable to Serbia. "Any solution based on the agreement of the two sides is possible, but no other decision can pass in the Security Council," he said. Srdjan Djuric, an aide to Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica, said that Ahtisaari's plan was "useless" and could not be a basis for new talks. "Negotiations make sense and can be called negotiations only if the outcome is not determined ahead," he explained. Meanwhile, veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which started a rebellion against Serbian rule in 1998, said the ethnic Albanian negotiating team should not tolerate any delays. "On the contrary, we, the war veterans of KLA, will be forced to act like soldiers of KLA and the consequences will bear the institutions," it said in a statement. Kosovo president Fatmir Seidiu said that "there can be no negotiations on Kosovo's status", but added that ethnic Albanians would continue to cooperate with the international community. The US assistant secretary of state for European affairs, Daniel Fried, was due in Pristina on Monday to meet ethnic Albanian leaders and discuss last week's summit between US president George W. Bush and Russian president Vladimir Putin. The two leaders failed to reach an agreement on Kosovo and Russia continues to insist on a negotiated settlement. Fried said the present situation in Kosovo was untenable and Kosovo had to become independent as "the last act" of disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. "Therefore we want to cooperate with Russia and to come to an agreement with her within the framework of the Security Council," he said. Kosovo has been administered by the UN since 1999, when NATO bombing pushed Serbian forces out of the province....
