Outside View: Europe, U.S. toy with Kosovo
UPI - July 12, 2007 Thursday 1:15 PM EST
By: VLADIMIR SIMONOV
MOSCOW, July 12 - Recently, Western statements on Kosovo have acquired an almost
panicky sense of urgency. Talking about a problem that has been brewing since
NATO bombed Yugoslavia eight years ago, Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, said the Security Council must make a decision on Kosovo's final
status within 10 days and urged Russia to cooperate. "I think the time has come
for Russia to take a step in the right direction on this issue," he added.
Christina Gallach, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, was
even more adamant. She said that if Russia rejected the Kosovo independence
plan, Brussels would take matters into its own hands and make an appropriate
decision.
The sensitive reader may think that all Russia has been doing up to now was
making bad decisions or that the U.N. Security Council, which gives its
permanent members the right to a veto, should be replaced with the "more
responsible" European Union.
But in reality the situation is different. Russia has rejected the previous,
second draft of the U.N. Security Council resolution on Kosovo because of its
wording and for more general reasons. Based on the plan drawn up by Martti
Ahtisaari, the U.N. special envoy for Kosovo, the Western plan grants the
Serbian province "internationally supervised" independence. Importantly, Russia
is not alone on the Security Council -- to some extent its position on Kosovo is
supported by China, Indonesia and South Africa.
Moscow was absolutely against the draft's provision on automatic implementation
of the Ahtisaari plan, under which Kosovo was to become independent if the talks
between Belgrade and Pristina failed to produce results within 120 days. Russian
diplomats do not believe in automatic solutions when it comes to centuries-long
contradictions between the principles of national self-determination and
territorial integrity.
Moreover, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, pointed out
that with the promise of independence after four months regardless of the
outcome, the Kosovo Albanians would not engage in serious negotiations.
These are important issues, but they are details. The main point is that Moscow
will object to any version unless it is backed both by Pristina and Belgrade.
Or, to make this statement positive, Moscow will support any decision if the
conflicting parties agree on it.
"Any other decision will not get past the Security Council," emphasized Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with his country's veto in mind.
Russia is convinced that the idea of Kosovo's independence is far-fetched.
Nobody had even mentioned it before NATO bombed Yugoslavia in 1999. At that
time, the discussion centered on various parameters of autonomy and a change in
Yugoslavia's federal structure.
The bombing dramatically affected Kosovo's demographic makeup -- the Serbian
population has dwindled from more than 30 percent to less than 10 percent and
has been driven into a ghetto. This fact questions the legitimacy of the
province's current authorities. There are grounds to say that the NATO bombing
has largely provoked them into channeling Albanian nationalist sentiments into a
demand for independence.
Breaking off part of Serbia without its consent will violate its territorial
integrity, thereby creating a very dangerous precedent. There are more than 200
situations where this principle is at odds with national self-determination. It
is difficult to imagine how much misfortune and blood a U.N. Security Council
resolution would bring if it were interpreted by some leaders as a green light
to receive as much independence as they can swallow. The draft's references to
the unique character of the Kosovo situation do not change anything.
This is why Russia is going to work for a political solution that will be
acceptable to both Belgrade and Pristina. It will use its veto as a last resort.
Moscow believes that the resolution of the highly sensitive and complicated
Kosovo issue requires much more time than it has been given.
Vladimir Simonov is a political commentator with
RIA Novosti. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not
necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside
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Copyright 2007 U.P.I.
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