EU and UN representatives signed a memorandum on 18 August in Pristina, triggering hostile reactions from high-ranking Serbian officials that appeared inappropriate for a country eager to join the EU. The signature of the memorandum to transfer responsibilities from UNMIK to the EU mission EULEX in the areas of justice, police and customs was a low profile event, taking place behind closed doors. As a face-saving measure, the long-delayed establishment of the EU mission in Kosovo (EurActiv 29/05/08) now takes the form of a "reconfiguration" between the UN and the EU missions. But Serbia considers the EU mission illegal, because unlike UNMIK, it has not been approved by the United Nations Security Council.
Serbia's Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic called the signing of the memorandum an "illegal act", while Foreign Minister Jeremic said it was a mistake for UNMIK to hand over policing in the province to the European Union without the consent of Serbia and the UN Security Council. Serbia's Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac said the signing was "a violation of international law".
Kouchner sees 'contradictions'
Earlier, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner described Belgrade's move to seize the International Court of Justice over Kosovo as "surprising", especially in view of Serbia's EU membership aspirations.
"If that court were to declare [Kosovo's independence] illegal, it would be unusual that Serbia would want to join illegality. There is some contradiction there," Kouchner said. He added that France will actively lobby against the Belgrade initiative. This view was echoed by Stephen Wordsworth, the British Ambassador to Serbia, who warned that the move would "only make cooperation and Serbia's integration into the European Union more difficult".
Wordsworth described Belgrade's attempts to legally annul Kosovo's secession as "dangerously misleading”, since Kosovo has now been recognised "by most [European] Union and most UN Security Council members".
Russian connection
Russia and Serbia are working hand-in-hand, with both questioning the legality of Kosovo's independence as well as the legal grounds of the EU mission in the former Serbian province. In an interview with last Sunday's edition of the Belgrade daily Politika, Aleksandr Konuzin, the Russian ambassador to Serbia, promised Belgrade "the most energetic support" in its opposition to EULEX, which is set to gradually become the main international supervisory body in Serbia's former province.
Russia has repeatedly warned that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence would set a precedent for similar moves in various "frozen conflict" zones. More recently, Moscow dismissed criticism that its use of force in Georgia was disproportionate, comparing it with NATO bombardments in Serbia in 1999, which it considers much more violent.
But it remains unclear if Belgrade would still align itself with Moscow in the long run. Diplomats suggest that Serbia may eventually abandon its hardline positions as a bargaining chip for a faster track to EU membership.
