Est. 2min 12-07-2007 (updated: 28-05-2012 ) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram The EU and the US are to present a revised resolution, in an attempt to settle the final status of Kosovo within the United Nations. Meanwhile, Kosovo’s prime minister has called for a ‘European solution’, claiming that reaching a UN agreement on the issue faces insurmountable obstacles. A new draft UN resolution calling for Serbia and Kosovo to continue talks for another four months is to be presented by the EU and the US shortly. Aiming at conciliating Russian concerns, the resolution falls short of foreseeing independence for the province, stating that it will “review the situation further”. However, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Agim Ceku said that the Kosovo issue was a “European problem” and urged for a swift solution outside the UN if necessary, following a meeting with EU High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, on 11 July. He stated: “We have to stop pretending that the UN Security Council has an answer to every question. Kosovo is ready and Kosovo needs movement now.” Solana insisted: “For us in the EU, it is very important that a Security Council resolution exists. Therefore, we will continue to work in order to have a solution through the UN.” He added: “It is not an open-ended process, it is a process that will have some limitation in time. But we will have to do it properly in this period of time, with common sense and with a constructive attitude.” Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on 11 July: “In a nutshell, we must do three things now: first, to settle Kosovo’s status without unnecessary delay; second, to preserve the essence of the current settlement proposal; and third, to further support Kosovo’s European aspirations and progress towards the EU.” EU diplomats fear that with further delay of the status settlement, the current window of opportunity, with Serbia and the EU reopening talks on a Stabilisation and Associations Agreement (SAA), may pass. Read more with Euractiv Russia refuses to budge on Kosovo independenceRussia has rejected the latest draft Resolution presented by the US, the UK and France, aimed to place the Serbian province under surveiled independence. The final settlement of Kosovo's status by the UN Security Council remains uncertain. Positions UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that any further delay or prolongation of that issue will not be beneficial for the Balkan States or for the EU. At the same time, he asked the parties concerned not to take any premature unilateral actions, which may further complicate this already complicated issue. Portuguese Prime Minister and current EU President Jose Socrates: "Europe has to remain united on the Kosovo issue. It's the only possible way forward. What we need to do is engage in the kind of negotiations, which will give us a clear international mandate on Kosovo. If negotiations need more time, that time must be made available to make sure that negotiations move forward. He added: "I think its important to send out clear signals to the Balkan countries so that they can look to a European solution with confidence." Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told MEPs: "Kosovo is a profoundly European matter. Indeed neither Russia nor the US is so directly affected by what happens in the Balkans as we Europeans are. It is Europe that would pay the price, if the status process failed. Kosovo’s status should not be settled by unilateral declarations or unilateral veto threats, but effective and responsible multilateralism." MEP Doris Pack, member of the EPP-ED group and chairwoman of the Parliament’s delegation to South-Eastern Europe, urged not to endlessly defer a solution on Kosovo. She criticised the slow development on the spot. Pack said: "It is not in our interest, that the future status of Kosovo is kept open until never ever, because collateral damage would be disastrous and European responsibility for this unwillingness to act substantial." She added that Russia’s demand for a solution of the Kosovo question "in good terms" between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians was "incomprehensive" and "unrealistic". Pack warned: "Pristina should not be held hostage." "We therefore need a resolution of the UN Security Council and have to convince Russians of this necessity," she concluded. BackgroundThe UN Security Council is currently seeking to settle the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo in a resolution. A plan put forward by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari foreseeing de facto independence for Kosovo is backed by the EU and the US. However, Serbia is maintaining its strong opposition to Kosovo independence. The province has been under international civil and military administration since the 1999 conflict. So far, no draft UN resolution has managed to overcome the Russian veto threat, with Moscow being a long-term ally of Serbia. The permanent Security Council member argues that any solution to the final status should find agreement with Serbia, warning that Kosovo could set a precedent for other breakaway regions. Further ReadingEU official documents Council:Javier Solana met Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Agim Ceku(11 July 2007) Press articles International Herald Tribune:Revised U.N. resolution calls for intensive negotiations on Kosovo with no promise of independence(10 July 2007) Reuters:U.N. draft glosses over Kosovo independence(11 July 2007)
