EU backs UN report on Kosovo

The EU has welcomed the UN’s proposal on the final status of Kosovo, which recommends some level of autonomy despite continued opposition from Serbia.

The report, presented in both Belgrade and Pristina by UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari on Friday, falls short of recommending full independence for the Albanian-speaking enclave – a move opposed by Serbia.

According to press reports, Ahtisaari will propose that Kosovo have the right to negotiate and conclude international agreements, including the right to seek membership of international organisations such as the EU or Nato.

But he will also respond to Serbian concerns that Kosovo will seek union with Albania by specifying that it “shall seek no union with any state or part of any state”.

He will also demand that Serbia and Kosovo deal sensitively and comprehensively with their past, and that all ethnic groups in Kosovo have their own rights in a bid to defuse more tension.

The UN report also recommends the rapid decentralisation over power to the various municipalities in Kosovo, sidestepping the issue of the legitimacy of any central government.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said that he welcomed Ahtisaari’s proposal.

“I fully support his intention to engage the parties in serious and intensive work on this basis to achieve a sustainable settlement,” he said.

The commissioner’s sentiments were echoed by the EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

“I strongly encourage both Belgrade and Pristina to engage actively with Martti Ahtisaari on the basis of his proposal.”

“I expect both parties to demonstrate responsibility, flexibility and a recognition of the need for realistic compromise-based solutions.”

MEP Doris Pack, who chairs parliament’s delegation for south east Europe, said that Ahtisaari’s report was “a good basis for discussion”.

“The European parliament regards support for the political and economic development of the region as a top priority,” she said.

“I hope that the perspective of European integration will facilitate the search for a solution acceptable to all sides.”

The European parliament will soon adopt its own report on the future of the Kosovo, which will include the proposals put forward by the UN envoy.

Kosovo has been administered by the UN since 1999, when Nato troops defeated Yugoslav forces and put an end to ethnic cleansing.

Belgrade remains vehemently opposed to any independence for Kosovo, despite the fact that Albanians there outnumber Serbs by nine to one.

The issue, along with the handing over of war crimes suspects Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, continues to overshadow Serbia’s long-term bid to join the EU.

Ahtisaari will wait for feedback from Kosovo and Serbia before transmitting his proposal to UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who will in turn pass it to the security council for adoption.

Russia’s vote – or veto – will be key, with Moscow perennially backing Belgrade over the Kosovo issue.

• Previous article
• Next article