UN and EU warn against unilateral move on Kosovo

Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku threatened on 16 July to unilaterally declare independence, after a further round of negotiations at the UN Security Council failed. The EU has reiterated that it does not support unilateral actions and urged for a solution within the UN framework.

The EU has restated its call to the actors involved “not to pursue unilateral actions, whether declarations or veto threats”. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s spokesperson Krisztina Nagy told reporters on 16 July that such action could “harm the interest of us all in a stable region that can become fully part of the EU over time”. 

Negotiations in the UN Security Council on 16 July failed to make progress towards a settlement of Kosovo’s final status. Russia continues to reject a UN resolution that would give de facto independence to the Serbian province, which has been under international surveillance since 1999. It also opposes the idea that the 120-day talks between representatives of Serbia and Kosovo – foreseen by the draft resolution – should be chaired from the European side, arguing that since the EU clearly favours Kosovo’s independence, it cannot act as an honest broker.

However, the EU is sticking to its line of seeking a multilateral solution to the issue within the framework of the UN Security Council, amid recent threats by Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku that he would go ahead with a unilateral declaration of independence. Such a move is likely to be supported by the US, which is losing patience over the issue.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on 16 July that he was “deeply concerned about the lack of progress” on the Kosovo issue. He urged that “at this time any premature unilateral action should be avoided”. He added: “I hope that Kosovo will not take any unilateral action.”

Meanwhile, Serbia’s Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said that he was not ready to trade Kosovan independence against EU membership, following talks with Portuguese Prime Minister José Socrates, currently at the EU’s helm, in Lisbon on 16 July. He said: “The offer is like this: if you want Europe you can forget Kosovo, if you want Kosovo you can forget Europe. Things cannot be like that. It is an indecent offer.”

EU High Representative Javier Solana is to meet UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari today (17 July) – Ahtisaari has provided a plan for Kosovo independence under European supervision.

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