Serbian daily says Ahtisaari's Kosovo plan not to be put before UNSC
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - March 10, 2007 Saturday

Text of report by Serbian newspaper Glas javnosti on 9 March

["Special" report for Glas javnosti by Diana Milosevic in Vienna: "Ban Ki-moon Will Reject Proposal"]

Martti Ahtisaari's final proposal for the future status of Kosovo-Metohija, on which the two delegations will have their final say tomorrow [10 March], will not be presented or put to the vote in the UN Security Council, because it will be rejected by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon immediately on receipt. Ban and a significant number of other UN power wielders are seriously dissatisfied with the work of the special envoy and his basically overstepping his authority, one of the best-informed diplomats in Vienna confirmed for Glas javnosti yesterday [8 March], shortly before the arrival of our delegation to the Austrian capital. The diplomat added that Ahtisaari had received his instructions from the previous Secretary-General, but that the incumbent secretary would have the final say. He stressed that the document would be sent back for further deliberations and that, in order to calm down and practically freeze the situation, new talks would be held in Belgrade and Pristina.

This development has largely been determined by Russia, which insisted that this was not the time for putting a plan before the UN Security Council before producing a compromise document, as well as by Serbian statesmen, who never once backed down from their insistence on sovereignty over Kosmet [Kosovo-Metohija]. The diplomat, who is close to Russian and US circles, confirmed that, before arriving for the previous round of talks on 21 February, the Serbian delegation had received four clear questions from Russia: Do you want us to support your keeping (Kosmet), independence, a division, or a trade.

"We were firm and we said what both Kostunica and Tadic keep insisting on with the same determination, the former with a serious expression on his face, the latter with a smile: that independence for Kosovo-Metohija is out of the question. The Russians heard us and it is clear from intensive talks that have been held in the past few days that they will not back down from supporting Belgrade," our source said.

He stressed also the importance of a powerful diplomatic offensive that Serbia has been pursuing lately, although noting that "we would not be fighting for a draw now if we had played like this from the start of the match."

According to him, a map with potential hotspots of the Kosovo kind marked on it has been sent through diplomatic channels to the addresses of 200 interested parties. The document had 30 hotspots marked in red. According to this diplomat, when diplomatic circles gave serious consideration to a Pandora's Box effect, the Americans had to answer the question as to how they meant to solve the problem of another Kosovo where separatists would not recognize Kosmet as a precedent.

"After five or six beers, their answer was that this was not a problem, because another Ahtisaari would be dispatched to another Kosovo," our source said.

Asked what he expected tomorrow's meeting between the two delegations to be like, he replied that all he knew at the moment was that one delegation would come in from one end of the room and the other would come in from the opposite end, while the international mediators would be waiting for them in the centre and that very likely none of Ahtisaari's lot would be making any public statements.

"Until last night it was not clear whether Kostunica would be coming or not, but since the question of a new government has made headway, he probably feels that he has an obligation and a responsibility to attend. When we learned that Tadic, Draskovic, and he would be coming, UNOSEK [UN Office of the Special Envoy for Kosovo] got down to planning an agenda, which was completed only late last night and forwarded to the parties concerned this morning. Judging from the previous rounds, we will be drinking coffee, and then more coffee, and then everybody will say what they have already said, and there will be no true negotiations. But I have already said that nobody is expecting a final solution to be reached the day after tomorrow anyway," the diplomat said. He added that this would all be followed by a meeting between Russia, Germany, and the United States at a G8 meeting in June.

[Box] Putin is not Yeltsin

Glas javnosti's source added that our and Russian diplomatic services made it clear to US envoys in the past few days that "Putin is not Yeltsin and that Russia does not have debts, but rather, it has a can on which the European Union depends," and that Moscow would not fall for either blackmail or petty promises of military and logistic concessions.

Its main interest, our source said, is to "prevent the Americans from achieving their basic intention, which is to come to Georgia," to which should be added Putin's statement that he would use a veto if the Kosovo question were to go against Russia's interests and that "the veto is not there to gather dust."

Source: Glas javnosti, Belgrade, in Serbian 9 Mar 07 p5

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