Lavrov says
U.S. main obstacle to Kosovo settlement
RIA Novosti - December 8, 2007
MOSCOW, December 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister said on Saturday
that the U.S. position on Kosovo was the main obstacle to a negotiated solution
on the province's status.
"Unfortunately, the fixed position of certain Western capitals, above all
Washington...on independence for Kosovo and the lack of an alternative to
independence, is the main obstacle on the path to a continuation of a negotiated
settlement [on Kosovo's status]," Sergei Lavrov told journalists upon his return
from Brussels, where he had taken part in a Russia-NATO Council meeting.
The group of international mediators in talks on Kosovo submitted to the UN
Security Council a report on Friday saying that the parties had failed to reach
an agreement.
The Contact Group troika of mediators - Russia, the United States and the
European Union - concluded months of talks last week.
A diplomatic source said that no agreement was in sight either between Belgrade
and Pristina, or within the troika itself, adding that Russia stood firm on its
view that independence could only be granted to Kosovo if both Pristina and
Belgrade were in agreement.
NATO announced on Friday that it would maintain its KFOR Kosovo peace force at
present levels, and would supply new troops as necessary to counter any violence
in the province, as Serbia spoke of "war".
"KFOR shall remain in Kosovo on the basis of UN Security Council resolution
1244, unless the Security Council decides otherwise. We renew our commitment to
maintain KFOR's national force, contributions, including reserves, at current
levels," the NATO communique said after a meeting of foreign ministers of the
26-nation alliance.
Earlier on Friday, at the start of the talks, NATO Secretary General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer, told foreign ministers that, "We will act resolutely against
anyone who seeks to resort to violence."
Scheffer's statement came after Aleksandar Simic, an adviser to Serbian Prime
Minister Vojislav Kostunica, said Serbia had the right to use military force to
defend its interests in Kosovo.
"The State has no recourse other than war when someone does not respect the UN
Security Council," he told Serbian state television.
The latest round of negotiations, held in Austria last week, failed to break the
long-running deadlock over the province's status. The talks between Belgrade and
Pristina, with Russia, the U.S. and the EU mediating, only saw Kosovo continue
to insist on full independence with Serbia offering broad autonomy.
The UN has set December 10 as a deadline for the parties to reach an agreement.
Kosovo has repeatedly said it will unilaterally declare independence if the UN
fails to give its approval.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that there was a "logic"
to Kosovo's independence, and other European states are also expected to
announce their recognition of Kosovo's statehood in the event of the province
declaring its independence.
Russia, Serbia's long-time ally, has repeatedly warned that independence would
serve as a precedent and could have a knock-on effect, provoking instability in
other secessionist territories, including those in the former Soviet Union.
NATO foreign ministers spoke openly on Friday of difficulties in current
relations with Russia.
"This partnership has entered a challenging phase," ministers said in a
communique, also saying that, "We value and want to continue our constructive
and frank dialogue with Russia, including on issues on which we disagree."
Kosovo has been a UN protectorate since 1999, when NATO's bombing of the former
Yugoslavia ended a bloody war between Serb forces and ethnic Albanians in the
region.
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