http://au.news.yahoo.com/080612/19/1796a.html
Thursday June 12, 08:10 PM Russia demands removal of UN Kosovo mission chief MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia on Thursday called for the German head of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to be removed because of what it called "scandalous" plans to curtail the mission. "We expect administrative measures to be taken in respect of Joachim Ruecker, even his removal from office," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. "This amounts to a scandalous arbitrariness that should be decisively halted. "It's clear that any actions in respect of UNMIK or the reformatting of the international presence in Kosovo are only possible on the basis of a decision by the UN Security Council," the statement said. Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, vehemently opposes Kosovan independence. It has sided with its Serbia against the many Western states that have recognised Kosovo and are trying to introduce new security arrangements there. UN chief Ban Ki-moon is expected to transfer some powers from UNMIK to the local authorities after ethnic Albanian leaders introduce a new constitution this weekend. The introduction of the new constitution is being closely watched as it sets off a chain of events with potentially unpredictable security implications. Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign ended a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. On Thursday NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels were expected to try to chart a course for the gradual transfer of powers, giving a major role to a vast European Union police and justice mission. <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=14871632/grpspId=1705043917/msgI d=34992/stime=1213273532/nc1=5028925/nc2=5286672/nc3=5191954> __,_._,___
