Foreign ministers delay Kosovo issue

EU foreign ministers failed to agree on a common position over Kosovo’s looming declaration of independence and the EU’s subsequent mission at a meeting on Monday. The issue will be back on the table when EU leaders meet for a summit on Friday (14 December).

Member states stressed that the EU “will continue to assume its responsibilities” but remain split over what status should be achieved and the responsibilities the EU is to take on in the Serbian province.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that there was “a majority” of member states in favour of recognising Kosovo after a likely unilateral declaration of independence in the weeks to come. But other countries, such as Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Spain, remain strongly opposed to recognising an independent Kosovo.

The EU’s representative in negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, briefed EU foreign ministers over lunch on the failed round of talks led by the troika of the contact group (US, EU and Russia). On the same day, the troika reported back to the United Nations. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is expected to refer the current UN mission in Kosovo to the EU on the basis of resolution 1244, which has provided for Kosovo to be placed under international surveillance since 1999.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country backs Serbia’s opposition to Kosovo’s independence, cautioned EU diplomats in Brussels on such an interpretation. “Russia’s view is that interpreting the resolution is dangerous if it is done in a one-sided way.” Resolution 1244 is to be discussed in the UN Security Council next week (19 December).

Meanwhile, pressure to declare independence is rising in Kosovo, as thousands of students took to the streets in Pristina. Kosovo’s Prime Minister designate Hashim Thaci said independence from Serbia was only weeks away. But Western diplomats are urging Kosovo’s leaders not to declare independence until after the Serbian elections tabled for mid-January. 

European heads of state and governments are to further discuss the Kosovo issue and the ESDP mission when they meet at the EU summit in Brussels on 14 December.

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