Independent Kosovo to collapse, official August 21, 2007 SERBIANNA Chairman of Foreign Policy Committee of the Russian Duma and the Head of the Russian delegation to the Council of Europe Konstantin Kosachov excluded possibility of Kosovo ever becoming a state and says that if such state proclaims independence without UN Security Council support will not survive.
"I exclude possibility of Kosovo becoming a state," said Kosachov and added that recognition of such unilateral declaration will be a violation of international law and a deliberate suspension of a UN Resolution that governs the province. "That structure would not be a firm one and the independent Kosovo would not survive. Kosovo has no perspective, if it becomes independent outside the UN Security Council," stressed Kosachov. Kosachov dismissed all Kosovo status negotiation deadlines, including the December 10 by when the Troika that is attempting to facilitate talks between Belgrade and Pristina is expected to submit its report to the UN Secretary General. "We have never been secretive of the fact that we can wield veto powers and we are not secretive about it today. Our partners in the UN SC have understood this message very well," Kosachov said. However, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik chided this position by saying that too much time has been wasted already and that clarity is on the status is urgently needed so that the December 10 deadline is welcome. "We have found ourselves in a situation where Russia is blocking the Council. This only calls for a solution outside the UN. The status issue is bound to be settled," Plassnik said. Austrian Social Democratic Party whip Josef Cap immediately criticized Plassnik's statement saying that setting a deadline for completing the negotiations on the future status of Serbia's southern province is counterproductive and that Austria should show restraint regarding the Serbian province, especially given its history in the Balkans. In anticipation of direct talks with Pristina, Belgrade has announced that its negotiating team will be soon formed. "We are waiting for the Troika to respond to our question what is going to be the format of the negotiations, and then we shall adjust our negotiating team to it," said Branislav Ristivojevic, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Serbia. Speaking for the Radio Free Europe, US Undersecretary Nicholas Burns said that independent Kosovo is the way of peace in the region. "We are trying very hard to support the proposal for Kosovo to become independent in 2007. This is the position of our country”, Burns was quoted as saying but declined to comment on whether US will recognize Pristina's unilateral declaration of independence http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/02186.shtml
