Kosovo pushes independence after West fails at U.N.
Reuters - Fri Jul 20, 2007 7:41PM BST

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS - The United States and Europeans discarded a U.N. resolution on the future status of Kosovo on Friday, because of Russian opposition, prompting Pristina to propose declaring independence from Serbia on November 28.

The watered-down U.N. Security Council resolution, the third in as many months, included a framework that Moscow said would lead to independence of the Serbian province by stealth.

"We regret that it has been impossible to secure such a resolution in the United Nations Security Council," said a statement read by France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere.

"We will therefore put on hold discussions on the resolution," de la Sabliere said on behalf of the resolution's sponsors, the United States, Britain, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and France.

In Pristina, Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku called on parliament on Friday to declare unilateral independence from Serbia on November 28 because of the U.N. diplomatic stalemate.

He said the Kosovo parliament should adopt a resolution setting the date on his return from Washington, he will meet U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday.

The draft U.N. resolution would have had the European Union take over from the United Nations, thereby removing the issue from Russia's influence. NATO troops would stay in place

The draft also called for renewed negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade for 120 days, which would be conducted by the Contact Group of advisors on the Balkans but which are bound to end in deadlock.

The Group meets on July 25 and is composed of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, the United States and Russia but no one country has veto rights. No country has suggested what would happen after the four months of talks.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, who has veto power in the Security Council was steadfast in opposing any plan without Belgrade's consent, saying that chopping off a province set a bad precedent for countries facing separatist movements.

China, Indonesia and South Africa also raised some doubts.

Churkin said Russia "intended to take a most active part in the work of the Contact Group," adding that the issue would return to the Council if a compromise was reached.

"There's going to be no pause in diplomatic and political activity around this issue," Churkin told reporters.

Although the resolution did not call for independence, it followed several key provisions of a supervised independence plan devised by U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari who negotiated with both sides for 13 months without success.

Pristina could declare independence, ask the United Nations to leave and invite the Europeans into the province. Much would then depend on how many countries recognized Kosovo.

While the United States has indicated it would do so, the European Union is key in the Balkans for political and financial support.

"The United Nations has failed to act," Kosovo's Ceku said after meeting U.N. Kosovo governor Joachim Ruecker.

"My idea is a way out of this situation. We are offering our partners a solution." November 28 marks independence day in neighbouring Albania, a date also celebrated by Kosovo's 90-percent Albanian majority.

Technically, the U.N. mission would have to annul any unilateral declaration, and risk a violent backlash NATO troops would have to quell.

In Belgrade, Serbia said the choice of November 28 pointed to the creation of a Greater Albania, something Kosovo and Albania have rejected.

"A unilateral declaration of independence would do them more harm than good," said senior Serb official Dusan Prorokovic.

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