http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080402/102799782.html
RUSSIAN INFORMATION AGENCY NOVOSTI Russia pledges to continue legal debate over Kosovo's status 02/04/2008 15:23 MOSCOW, April 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Kosovo can never be a UN member, and that Moscow will work with like-minded states to ensure the issue of the province's status is reconsidered. A total of 36 countries have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state since its unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia on February 17, including the United States and 18 European Union members. Russia has consistently backed Belgrade's position that Kosovo will always remain a part of Serbia. Sergei Lavrov told Russian lawmakers, "We will continue to consistently support the actions of the Serbs in clarifying the illegality of giving Kosovo sovereign status, and to bring the Kosovo issue back into the international legal process." Russia is closely cooperating with Serbia and other states that share its position on Kosovo, Lavrov told a session of Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma. Russia, "as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is capable of ensuring that Kosovo does not become a fully-fledged member of the United Nations," he said. The minister said Russian envoys to international organizations would make sure that Kosovo does not join any of them. "There are many international organizations within and outside the UN, and each has its own procedure for admitting new members. Everywhere where our envoys work, we will fully use these procedures to show the unlawfulness of Kosovo's unilateral independence." The diplomat said President Vladimir Putin would raise the Kosovo issue at the NATO-Russia summit opening in Bucharest on Wednesday evening. Discussions at the three-day summit will address, among other issues, the alliance's possible further expansion into former Soviet territories. The summit will be the last for Putin and for U.S. President George W. Bush. In line with Serbia's request, Russia sent on Wednesday the first 40 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Serb areas of Kosovo, and plans to conduct another three flights by April 10. Lavrov said Russia is "far from indifferent over whether a geopolitical situation develops around Russia and throughout Europe with a comfortable atmosphere for integration, investment and trade, or whether crisis zones flare up, or new frozen conflicts are created, undermining constructive partnership." __._,_.___
