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An independent Kosovo may open up Pandora's box, warns Russia <http://www.independent.ie/> What are these? By Paul Rhodes in Munich Monday February 11 2008 Europe risks opening a "Pandora's box" if it recognises Kosovo's independence despite Serbian objections, a senior Russian government minister said yesterday . First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov also said Russia would not respond tit-for-tat to a likely Western recognition of Kosovo's independence by immediately recognising independence bids by two Georgian breakaway provinces it supports. "We think if it comes to a unilateral recognition of Kosovo, that would be a precedent," Ivanov said at an international security conference in the southern German city of Munich. "That would definitely be beyond international law, and it would be something close to opening a Pandora's box," Ivanov added, referring to a term from Greek mythology describing ill-thought actions which lead to unpredictable problems. Moscow has supported Belgrade in opposing Kosovo's secession from Serbia and used its veto right in the UN Security Council to block a resolution that would have granted the territory supervised independence. Moscow says its main fear is that granting independence to Kosovo and bypassing the United Nations could encourage many separatist regions in Europe and beyond to follow suit. Russia itself maintains a peacekeeping force in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two Georgian regions which broke away in early 1990s and are now under Moscow's political and economic control -- a highly contentious issue between the two ex-Soviet states. Russia rejects accusations from pro-Western Georgia that it is planning to annex the two regions. Moscow has so far resisted calls by separatist leaders to recognise their independence. Analysts have said that the Western recognition of Kosovo's independence was likely to become a test for Russia's resistance level. Ivanov said Moscow would not rush and take advantage of the precedent. "There is a misconception that is spread among NATO and EU countries that Kosovo's independence will be followed by Russia's support for the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," he told a news conference in Munich. - Paul Rhodes in Munich
