Putin says Russia may use veto right regarding Kosovo resolution

Putin says Russia may use veto right regarding Kosovo resolution
TASS - September 13, 2006 Wednesday 08:50 AM EST

MOSCOW, September 13 - Russian President Vladimir Putin does not rule out that Russia may use the veto right during the discussion in the UN Security Council of the resolution on the status of Kosovo.

``If the proposed decisions appear unacceptable for us we do not rule out the possibility of the use of the veto right,'' said the president answering questions of participants in a meeting of the international discussion club Valdai. A verbatim report of the meeting that was held on September 9 is published on the official Kremlin website. The Valdai discussion club brings together leading political analysts, Russian affairs experts and the heads of leading foreign policy and research think tanks.

The President's meetings with the club's participants have already become a tradition. This was the third such meeting. During the three-hour discussion, Putin expressed his views on a number of key foreign and domestic policy issues and answered numerous questions put to him by the club's participants, it is said on the website.

``(This right) is given to us not for keeping it in a coffer and forsaking. It is a real instrument of politics, it's an extreme measure, but we do not rule out that we will use it if (the resolution) runs counter to our views of the principles of building international relations and our interests,'' Putin said adding that he did not know what the future resolution will be like and if it would be put to the vote.

``I don't know if we attain a certain resolution and what it will be like. But we shall seek to have universal rules of international relations applied to all regions of the world,'' the president noted.

According to him, determining its stance Russia ``will heed the opinion of the participants in the international negotiating process, including Serbia,'' Putin added.

He said he is certain that in the Abkhazian and South Ossetian settlement the same rules that are applied to Kosovo should be used. The president believes the disruption of the Russian initiative in the Dniester region is a mistake of European diplomacy.

``It is inadmissible to apply one rules for Kosovo and other - for Abkhazia and South Ossetia,'' said Putin.

``(Regarding Kosovo) there is resolution 1244 (of the UN Security Council) and nobody has cancelled it,'' Putin said. ``It is inadmissible to manipulate public opinion and neglect decisions adopted by the UN Security Council.''

The president stressed that international actions ``in this sphere should be coordinated and should be taken based on considering the interests of all participants in this process.''

``We should once again think what will happen next if Kosovo independence is recognized and legally formalized,'' Putin said. ``An what will happen next in this region of the world? We had been told that everything would be all right in Iraq. And now only Kurdish flags are hoisted in Iraq's Kurdistan, there are now no Iraqi flags there. What will happen next in this region, in Europe? Has anybody thought about it, no? But it is necessary to think,'' the president emphasized.

Putin stressed that international actions ``should be universal.'' ``What is the difference between the Kosovo situation and Abkhazian or South Ossetian? There is no difference whatsoever,'' he noted. ``So as soon as we begin to manipulate public opinion or make attempts to do this we will encounter problems. People will feel deceived. Both in South Europe and the Trans-Caucasian region. Such policy cannot be recognized moral. It has no prospects,'' Putin pointed out.

The president confirmed that Russia is ready to work with the European Union in settling ``any complicated, severe or conflict situation wherever they emerge.'' ``This certainly can also be said about the post-Soviet space. It is Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, it is the Dniester region,'' Putin added.

In the words of the Russian head of state, ``it is not always possible to coordinate actions and this causes damage to security issues in Europe.'' He said, ``Thus, for instance, has happened during the Dniester region settlement when we were just one step away from this settlement and fears of our Western, American and European partners disrupted this settlement, disrupted these agreements and brought everything back to zero point.'' The president stressed, ``I believe that it is a major mistake of European diplomacy.''