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http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/HMYT-6VJQTD?OpenDocument

Government of Serbia - November 14, 2006

Ahtisaari fails to gain EU support for Kosovo's independence

Belgrade - Coordinator of the state team for
negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija
Slobodan Samardzic said today that it is evident that
at the meeting of EU Council of Ministers, UN Special
Envoy Martti Ahtisaari failed to win support of EU
countries for Kosovo's independence. 
Samardzic told the Tanjug news agency that this is one
more in a series of Ahtisaari's failures, in addition
to those in the Contact Group and the Security
Council. 
Now it is clear that there are very opposing opinions
on the issue in the EU, Samardzic said, and added that
a normal negotiating policy will have to be resumed
that will lead to a common, or compomising solution
reached by Belgrade and Pristina. 
He explained that yesterday's meeting of the EU
Council of Ministers in Brussels showed that there are
sharp differences within the EU on the resolution of
Kosovo issue because Ahtisaari's statement was
followed by different opinions of the participants in
the meeting. 
The position of Spain is very interesting for Serbia,
since Spanish State Secretary for the European Union
Alberto Navarro stated clearly that Spain cannot
support any form of Kosovo independence because in
doing so it would violate international law,
especially the Helsinki Final Act. 
This opinion was supported by Greek Foreign Minister
Dora Bakoyannis and Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai
Razvan Ungureanu. 
There are also more EU countries that have a negative
attitude on the possible independence of Kosovo. 

---

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-11/15/content_5330412.htm

Xinhua News Agency - November 15, 2006

Albania says delayed Kosovo final status threatens regional stability 

TIRANA - Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said
here on Tuesday that further delays in deciding
Kosovo's final status will threaten the delicate peace
and stability in Kosovo and beyond. 
"Only a free and independent Kosovo will contribute to
the regional peace and stability," Berisha told a
press conference. 
The international community last week put off its
final report on Kosovo until next year because of
Serbia's coming election. Serbia announced early
elections for January 21, with the nationalist Radical
party tipped to emerge as the strongest party. 
Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, the UN envoy for Kosovo,
and diplomats from the United States, Europe and
Russia went back on earlier pledges to resolve the
issue this year, saying they would wait until after
the Serbian ballot before making public their
recommendations. 
The Albanian-majority province is formally part of
Serbia, but won an independence war in 1999 when the
Serbian authorities were driven out by the NATO. 
Since then the province has been under UN control. 
Albania has been the strongest supporter of Kosovo's
independence, though it says that it has no
territorial ambitions over the province. [sic] 

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http://www.vor.ru/index_eng.phtml?view=news3_eng&id=481

Voice of Russia - November 17, 2006

Russia believes Kosovo issue to be a precedent 

Russia believes the resolution of the Kosovo issue
will be a precedent. 
Its permanent representative to the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, Alexei Borodavkin
said Russia considers the talk on the extraordinary
nature of the Kosovo issue as an attempt to apply
double standards towards the crises in several other
regions and biased interpretation of international
law.

---

http://en.rian.ru/world/20061117/55745687.html

Russian Information Agency (Novosti) - November 17, 2006

U.S. denies similarity between S.Ossetia, Abkhazia and Kosovo 

TBILISI - The situation in Georgia's breakaway
republics is completely different from that in Kosovo,
a high-ranking American official said Friday,
dismissing the comparison often made by Moscow.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza
said there were no parallels between Kosovo and two
Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,
which proclaimed their independence from Georgia after
the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and that the
situation with Kosovo was unique.
Russia, which remains entangled in a furious
diplomatic dispute with Georgia, has stressed
ex-Soviet breakaway regions' right to decide their own
fate, and compares them to Kosovo's drive for
independence from Serbia.
South Ossetia held a referendum on Sunday, at which
the breakaway region's residents voted overwhelmingly
for independence from Georgia, despite Western powers'
refusal to recognize the vote.
However, Bryza questioned the validity of the
referendum, saying only one group of the republic's
residents had the right to take part in the vote,
while the other did not.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who swept into
power on the back of a "color" revolution in 2003, has
pledged to bring the self-proclaimed republics back
into the fold. His defense minister has also said
Georgian troops will celebrate New Year's day in the
capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali.
Bryza also said the United States would not object if
Georgia bought natural gas from Iran, with which the
U.S. continues to have a hostile relationship, instead
of from Russia, which is demanding a major price hike
from 2007.
Bryza said the United States had strong relations with
Georgia, and that its potential gas cooperation with
Iran would not affect bilateral ties in any way. He
said the United States supports Georgia's goal of
finding alternative gas sources.
Georgia and Russia have been entangled in a diplomatic
feud since the arrest of four Russian officers on
spying charges in September. Tensions were already
strained at the time over the presence of Russian
peacekeepers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and over
Russia's import ban on Georgian goods, including wine
and mineral water. 
Since the latest row began, Russia has cut transport
and mail links to its mountainous ex-Soviet neighbor,
cracked down on businesses allegedly related to the
Georgian mafia, and deported hundreds of Georgians
accused of residing in Russia illegally.

---

http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=44167&NrIssue=196&NrSection=20

MakFax (Macedonia) - November 17, 2006

Thaci says independence decision already made

Washington - The leader of the Democratic Party of
Kosovo (DPK) Hashim Thaci said the Kosovo status
decision has been already made.
"The decision on Kosovo's independence is being
discussed with the European Union and other
international factors," Thaci said after the meeting
with the US Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Nicholas Burns.
According to Thaci, who is also a member of Pristina's
negotiation team, Kosovo will become an independent
state with sovereignty on its entire territory, and
with a civil mission and NATO's military presence.
There will be no delay of Kosovo status settlement
after the parliamentary elections in Serbia slated for
January 21 next year, he added.
Kosovo needs order and peace, Thaci said, adding that
the institutions and the citizens should unite in
terms of "statehood activities".
During the visit to the United States, DPK leader met
with senior officials of the US State Department,
National Security Council and representatives of civil
society. 

---

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2006&mm=11&dd=17&nav_category=90&nav_id=38045

Beta (Serbia) - November 17, 2006

Koštunica: Independence is violence 

BELGRADE - The Serbian PM says he does not believe
Kosovo solution will be reached through unilateral
recognition of independence.
“That would be an example of legal violence and a
double breach of international laws’ basic principles.
On the one hand, this would be in contravention to the
UN Charter and Resolution 1244, and on the other, no
such decision can be reach without the participation
of the UN Security Council”, Vojislav Koštunica told
Beta news agency.
According to the Serbian prime minister, circumventing
the UN would not go without consequences for the
states that engage in such behavior. 
“This is especially true of NATO member states as it
would shed a new light on the so-called humanitarian
intervention of 1999. 
"In that case, a connection could be seen between the
bombardment then and the snatch of Serbian territory
seven years later. In that case, there is no doubt
nothing could remain the same in the relations between
those countries and Serbia”, Koštunica said. 

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http://english.people.com.cn/200611/20/eng20061120_323321.html

Xinhua News Agency - November 20, 2006

Serbian PM warns NATO against recognizing Kosovo 

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned NATO
members on Sunday of serious consequences if they
unilaterally recognize the independence of the Serbian
southern province of Kosovo. 
"The fact that NATO bombed Serbia without the UN
Security Council's approval is its huge mistake, big
enough for the last and this century," Kostunica told
a meeting of his ruling Democratic Party of Serbia. 
Any new, even the slightest, mistake of the NATO
regarding Kosovo would have serious consequences, the
prime minister warned. 
Serbia announced a new constitution earlier this
month, which enshrines Kosovo as an "inalienable" part
of Serbia. 
The document, unanimously adopted by the Serbian
parliament on Sept. 30, was officially confirmed in
the national referendum on Oct. 28 and 29. 
Still, Kostunica said he was confident that "NATO
countries would not recognize Kosovo's independence
unilaterally, without a relevant UN Security Council
decision, or in violation of such a decision." 
Technically still a part of Serbia, Kosovo, a place
with ethnic Albanians taking up about 90 percent of
the population, has been kept under the UN
administration since 1999 in line with UN Security
Council Resolution 1244. 
NATO launched a 78-day bombing campaign on former
Yugoslavia in 1999 without the approval of the UN
Security Council under the pretext of seeking an end
to the ethnic conflicts in Kosovo. 
Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, the UN envoy for Kosovo,
has said he would wait to present his plans for the
future of Kosovo to the UN Security Council until
after Serbia's general elections on Jan. 21 next year,
delaying the scheduled end-of-year deadline. 
This delay drew concerns from Albanian Prime Minister
Sali Berisha who said further delays in deciding
Kosovo's final status would threaten the delicate
peace and stability in Kosovo and beyond. 
Kostunica said the Serbian government was confident
that the UN Security Council would never violate the
UN Charter and the explicit provisions of UN Security
Council Resolution 1244 on Kosovo as part of Serbia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
He said it was important for the NATO member countries
to "strictly abide by Resolution 1244 and
international law principles." 

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http://www.balkanalysis.com/security-intelligence-briefs/11212006-nato-decision-on-kosovo-army-risks-future-extremism/

Balkanalysis.com (US) - November 21, 2006

NATO Decision on Kosovo Army Risks Future Extremism

Recent statements by a retired British Brigadier
General, Tony Welch, suggesting that a future
independent Kosovo should have a small defense force
ignore specific factors that contribute to instability
and make future violence likely, independent experts
say.
The subject of any kind of army for the future Kosovo
is an extremely sensitive topic in the Balkans. The
2001 war started by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia,a s
well as violence in Montenegro and south Serbia, have
been listed as factors in Kosovo’s destabilizing
tendency in the region.
Calls for a Kosovo army have always been predicated on
the notion that a small, orderly military force under
NATO’s training would provide a professional
alternative to the shadowy paramilitaries that have
roamed Kosovo under different acronyms over the past
decade. They all, however, have a common source (the
Kosovo Liberation Army which fought the Serbs from
1997-1999).
The current police force in the province, the ethnic
Albanian-dominated Kosovo Protection Service, and the
civil defense force(TMK) are both full of ex-KLA
elements. Former KLA general Agim Ceku, before
becoming Kosovo’s premier, was the top TMK commander.
The British general’s report suggests that the future
army have three characteristics. One, it should be
supervised and trained by NATO; two, it should be
multi-ethnic and open to all; three, it should be
about half the size of the KPS currently (5,000
members).
However noble this sounds, experts believe, this plan
ignores the factors that will create further
instability. One Serbian military expert in Belgrade
attests that “whatever promises they make, there is no
chance that Serbs will participate in such an armed
formation under overwhelming Albanian command- one,
because of the symbolic [loss of Kosovo], two because
of their own safety.”
And a former European peacekeeper in the province,
noting the patronage system of employment that
pervades Kosovo society, adds that, “trimming the KPS
from 5,000 to 2,500 means that suddenly you will have
2,500 unemployed men, suddenly removed from armed
service but with plenty of armed training…this is a
recipe for disaster.”
As has long been apparent, the West seems to be again
overly optimistic about the future security abilities
and motivations of Kosovo institutions. 

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http://www.vor.ru/Exclusive/excl_next8742_eng.html

Voice of Russia - November 22, 2006

KOSOVO CAN BE SEPARATED FROM SERBIA ONLY BY MEANS OF FORCE 
Pyotr Iskenderov 

The Serbian Prime Minister Voislav Kostunica has
announced that Kosovo will never become a legally
independent state and may be separated from Serbia
only by means of force. 
He reminded of the tragic history of NATO bombings of
Yugoslavia in 1999 and called on the international
community to avoid another mistake while determining
the status of Kosovo. 
The 1999 NATO bombings of Yugoslavia opened a new
chapter in the history of the Kosovo conflict. 
Seven years ago the peacekeepers not only failed to
settle the conflict but caused the creation of another
Albanian state in the Balkans. 
The leaders of the Kosovo Serbs spoke about the main
features of this “state” on Sunday. 
They reminded that since 1999, when a UN mandate for
Kosovo came into force, about 200,000 Serbs were
forced to leave. More than 30,000 Serbian homes and
150 Orthodox churches and monasteries were destroyed
then. 
A member of the Serbian delegation at the Vienna talks
for determining the future status of Kosovo, Marko
Yaksic, compared the present situation with feudal
times. 
And the West is evidently to be blamed for it, because
it has never thought that it does only harm conniving
with the Albanian extremists. 
Today two-thirds of the Kosovans are unemployed, and
one third live below the poverty line. 
After Serbian enterprises in Kosovo were privatized by
the leaders of criminal groups, the Serbs found
themselves deprived of their property. But the West
seems not to care at all. 
The question is for how long Europe will tolerate
numerous Albanian “states”. 
The Republic of Albania, the Republic of Kosovo, the
Presevo Valley in South Serbia, Western Macedonia and
the Albanian districts of Montenegro. 
All these regions need huge economic investments. 
Basically, they are governed by the mob and may
eventually become flashpoints of interethnic clashes. 
Europe must admit it faces the threat of a dangerous
slide back to feudalism.

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http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.362319738&par=0

ADN Kronos International - November 22, 2006

KOSOVO: PREMIER WELCOMES ITALIAN SUPPORT, SERBS ANGRY

Pristina, Belgrade - Kosovo prime minister Agim Ceku
said on Wednesday he was pleased with the results of
his visit to Italy, saying he received assurances from
foreign minister Massimo D’Alema that Rome supported
independence for Kosovo. D’Alema, "as a reputed
visionary, publicly used the word independence as a
solution for Kosovo," Ceku told Kosovo
Albanian-language media. Ceku recently visited several
Western capitals, lobbying for independence and will
visit Russia on November 30. "It’s easy to talk to
those who support Kosovo, but we must also visit the
countries which have some dilemmas about Kosovo
independence," he added.
Russia is the only member of a six-nation Contact
Group which has publicly opposed Kosovo's
independence. Other members of the Group, which should
propose a final solution for the status of Kosovo to
the United Nations Security Council, are the United
States, Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy.
Ethnic Albanians, who outnumber the remaining Serbs in
Kosovo by 17 to one, have said they will settle for
nothing short of independence which Belgrade opposes,
though it has no authority in the province sine 1999
when Kosovo was put under U.N. control. Eight rounds
of U.N. sponsored talks on the Kosovo status gave
little result and the chief U.N. negotiator Martti
Ahtisaari was expected to unveil his final proposal by
the end of January.
D’Alema said after meeting with Ahtisaari in Rome last
Friday that Kosovo was 
"heading towards a form of independence with some
limitations and with international guarantees." But he
pleaded for the resumption of the European Union
pre-entry talks with Serbia, broken off last May to
compensate it for a possible loss of Kosovo. He said
Serbia is "a country that is fundamental for the
Balkans", adding that “the future of Serbia and of
other western Balkans countries is within the European
Union."
But Slavko Zivanov, a spokesman for the Serbian
government Coordinating Center for Kosovo, said
Belgrade didn’t see D’Alema’s pleading for the
resumption of EU talks in a positive light in view of
his support for Kosovo independence. 
“Such a trade-off is absolutely out of question,”
Zivanov told Adnkronos International (AKI). He said
Serbia was defending “the international legal order”
by opposing Kosovo independence and the change of the
existing borders. “There is no valid reason, nor
motive to write off Kosovo for a promise of resuming
the talks with EU,” he said.
Slobodan Eric, editor of a periodical Geopolitika,
said D’Alema’s “trade off proposal is an insult to the
intelligence of the Serbian people. How can we give up
a part of our territory and the cradle of our state
for an empty promise," Eric told AKI. 
He said it was regrettable that the new Italian
government was continuing the policies of the former
government which supported NATO bombing of Serbia in
1999. “Such a policy can only harm our bilateral and
economic relations, which have been on the upswing
lately,” Eric concluded. 

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http://www.vor.ru/Exclusive/excl_next8751_eng.html

Voice of Russia - November 24, 2006

INDEPENDENCE FOR KOSOVO WILL OPEN THE FLOODGATE 

FOR ALL UNRECOGNIZED PROVINCES AND REGIONS

The Serbian foreign minister, Vuk Draskovic has told
an Italian news agency that independence for Kosovo
will represent a precedenct for all yet unrecognized
provinces and regions in the world. 
Under the Serbian Constitution, Kosovo, with a
predominantly Albanian population is an integral part
of Serbia, but the rulers in Belgrade are not in
control of Kosovo. 
The Serbian army and police were pulled back from that
Serbian province in 1999 after NATO's day and night
bombardment, yielding place to KFOR [NATO]. 
The Albanian majority in Kosovo is pressing hard for
independence, unmindful of protests by Belgrade. 
....
Dmitry Danilov of the Russian academy of sciences
institute of Europe has this to say. 
It is highly possible that Kosovo will be granted
independence, a most undesirable development from the
point of view of [resulting] international fallout.
Independence for Kosovo will represent a precedent for
all other unrecognized state formations such as South
Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Transdniestria, all former
republics in the former Soviet Union. 
But there are several others in the Balkans and
elsewhere, all waiting to see how the Kosovo issue
pans out.
Most likely, the international community will chose
not to recognize the legitimacy of the demands by
other state formations, a move capable of further
destabilizing the situation in the world. 
It is unclear how the world can wriggle out of this
situation, said Danilov. 
There’s need to ponder the issue in view of ongoing
discussion over the future status of Kosovo; issues of
format and legitimate form of granting independence
not only to Kosovo but also to other state formations
yet unrecognized should be given serious thought. 
He believes that such an approach could remove several
likely problems. 
Unfortunately, Western countries are trying to tackle
and solve the Kosovo issue first and grant it
independence while the problems of other unrecognized
provinces and regions are treated rather lightly. 
It is wrong to pretend to forget the saying that what
is good for the goose is equally good for the gander. 

---

www.radioyu.com

Notizie 26.11.2006. 

17:30 - La Romania è contraria all'indipendenza del Kosovo, perché in quel caso si arriverebbe al caso senza precedenti che porterebbe alla destabilizzazione nella regione, ha dichiarato a Bor l'ambasciatore della Romania in Serbia, Jon Makovej. »La Romania si sta adoperando per un'ampia autonomia per il Kosovo, alla quale si arriverebbe attraverso il dialogo diretto fra Belgrado e Pristina. Se nel caso del Kosovo sarà riconosciuta l'indipendenza, questo darebbe le ali agli altri gruppi separatistici in Europa, ad insistere sulle proprie richieste«, ha detto l'ambasciatore Makovej. Secondo lui, il governo romeno ha esposto questa posizione, recentemente a Bucarest, al segretario generale della NATO, Jaap de Hoopn Scheffer.

16:52 - Il governo serbo ritiene che sia importante che al vertice della NATO, il 28 e il 29 novembre a Riga, quando verrà esaminata la situazione nei Balcani occidentali, venga presa una chiara conclusine sul rispetto della sovranità e dell'integrità territoriale della Serbia, ha dichiarato il ministro per l'amministrazione statale e locale, Zoran Loncar. Lui ha aggiunto che il governo serbo si aspetta dai funzionari della NATO di rilevare l'immutabilità dei confini riconosciuti in modo internazionale di tutti gli stati nella regione, e il pieno rispetto della Carta delle Nazioni Unite e delle norme del diritto internazionale, che, come ha evidenziato, garantiscono che il Kosovo è parte integrante e inalienabile della Serbia. Visto che la NATO, senza l'approvazione del Consiglio di sicurezza dell'ONU, aveva bombardato a suo tempo la Serbia, è molto importante che la NATO confermi in modo inequivocabile il rispetto dell'integrità territoriale della Serbia, ha sottolineato Loncar.

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Resolution of conference 

“The Communists and Other Democratic Forces for Human Rights and Democracy in Europe and the World – Actively Against Anti–Communism” against forced changes of state borders in Balkans, Europe and in the world

November 25-26, 2006, Prague

Communist and other democratic parties declared in international conference on November 25-26, 2006 in Prague against forced changes of state borders in Balkans, in Europe and in the world and insist on abidance by Helsinki Declaration from 1975.
In spirit of this the participants of the conference stand against forced secession of southern part of Serbia – Kosovo and against its declaration as “independent state”. 
The participants in conference stand for abidance by and respect to UN Charter and international law in relation to protection of integrity and sovereignty of member states of United Nations.

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http://en.rian.ru/world/20061130/56257830.html

Russian Information Agency (Novosti) - November 30, 2006

Russian MP cautions Kosovo against unilateral secession from Serbia 

MOSCOW - A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday
cautioned Serbia's predominantly Albanian province of
Kosovo against unilaterally declaring its
independence. 
Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the international
affairs committee in Russia's lower house of
parliament, said, "The determination of Kosovo's
status, as long as the province does not commit itself
to human rights standards and is seeking sovereignty
unilaterally rather than through negotiations, creates
a highly dangerous precedent and runs counter to
Europe's postwar order." 
Speaking after a meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister
Agim Ceku in Moscow, the Russian MP said the
underlying principle of the European order established
after WWII is the inadmissibility of changing state
borders unless all involved parties give their
consent. 
Ceku, visiting Russia with a delegation of Kosovo
interim government officials, reiterated his
determination to further push for the province's
independence and to secure its recognition as a
sovereign state by the UN Security Council and other
international organizations, Kosachev said. 
,,,,
On Tuesday, thousands of Kosovar Albanians attacked
the United Nations headquarters in the capital,
Pristina, over a delayed decision on their demand of
independence for Kosovo, a UN protectorate since
NATO's military intervention in 1999. 
The province's final status was to have been
determined this year, but a decision has now been put
off until after a general election in Serbia on
January 21. 

---

http://www.interfax.com/3/218064/news.aspx

Interfax - November 30, 2006

Russian MPs urge Kosovo premier to negotiate with Belgrade

MOSCOW - Members of the Russian State Duma's Foreign 
Affairs Committee said at a meeting with Kosovo Prime
Minister Agim Ceku that the issue of Kosovo's status
should be solved through talks between Belgrade and
Pristina.
"We are again calling on Pristina to talk with
Belgrade. As far as we know, Serbia is ready to grant
the broadest possible status to Kosovo, given Serbia's
territorial integrity is maintained," said State Duma
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin
Kosachyov.
.... 
"We stated that Russia is convinced that the
definition of Kosovo's status, when international
human rights standards are not observed in the
province, when the nation-building process is
unilateral, rather than discussed at talks between
Belgrade and Pristina, creates a dangerous precedent
that directly contradicts principles of the post-war
European order defined in the Helsinki Final Act of
1975," Kosachyov said.
.... 

---

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http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.364971431&par=0

ADN Kronos International (Italy) - November 30, 2006

KOSOVO: CEKU GETS COLD SHOULDER IN MOSCOW OVER INDEPENDENCE

Moscow - Kosovo prime minister Agim Ceku got a cold
shoulder from Russian leaders on Thursday in an effort
to rig support for independence of the province which
has been under United Nations control since 1999. 
Ceku's visit got a low profile treatment, aimed not to
offend Belgrade, which opposes independence of the
province in which ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs by
17 to one. 
He met with deputy foreign minister Vladimir Titov and
president of the foreign policy committee of the
Russian parliament, Konstantin Kosachyov, but failed
to get Moscow's commitment for independence.
Kosachyov suggested that the dispute should be solved
in direct negotiations with Belgrade and offered
Moscow's support in "establishing direct dialogue". 
He said unilateral proclamation of independence,
without Belgrade's consent, would be a "dangerous
precedent, contrary to European standards established
after the Second World War". 
Kosachyov told journalists, after meeting with Ceku,
that these standards don't allow the change of state
borders without the consent of all involved.
He actually echoed Belgrade's stand that any change of
borders, or unilateral recognition of Kosovo
independence, would destabilize the entire region and
violate the UN Charter. 
"Russia could help in establishing such a dialogue
which would lead to a compromise that would satisfy
the Serbian and the Kosovo side," he said.
Belgrade has no authority in Kosovo since its forces
were pushed out of the province by NATO bombing in
1999 and is offering ethnic Albanians a large
autonomy. 
But ethnic Albanian leaders have said they would
settle for nothing short of independence, hinting they
might even resort to violence to achieve that goal.
....
Resolution 1244, which put Kosovo under UN control
with strong international civilian and military
presence, states that Kosovo is officially a part of
Serbia. 
But the international community [sic] has been
gradually moving towards granting Kosovo independence
and, after eight failed rounds of negotiations, it is
expected to make a final status decision early next
year.
Russia is the only member of a six-nation Contact
Group for Kosovo that has openly opposed independence.
Other members of the group, which should make a final
status proposal, are the United States, Great Britain,
France, Italy and Germany.

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http://www.vor.ru/Exclusive/excl_next8803_eng.html

Voice of Russia - December 1, 2006

STATE DUMA: UNILATERAL RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
Yevgeny Kryshkin 

Unilateral recognition of Kosovo is extremely dangerous. 
This position of the Russian Foreign Ministry was
spelled out to Kosovo’s Prime Minister Agim Ceku, who
came to Moscow at the invitation of Russian lawmakers.
Moscow made clear that in the absence of human rights
standards, any unilateral steps towards determining
the political status of Kosovo would be premature. 
According to the head of the State Duma international
affairs committee Konstantin Kosachyov, Kosovo’s
independence would contradict the principles of
post-war cooperation in Europe, which prohibit any
border changes without the consent of all parties
involved. 
Pavel Kandel is a senior expert at the Institute of
Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 
Moscow insists that the status of Kosovo be determined
through negotiations between the conflicting parties,
namely between ethnic Albanians and the Serbian
government. 
Attempts to impose a decision rejected by Serbia are
unacceptable. 
Meeting with Russian officials in Moscow, Agim Ceku
reaffirmed the ethic Albanian authorities’ strive for
secession, while Russia remains convinced that the
only way out of the Kosovo deadlock lies through
political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and a
search for a compromise solution. 
Despite these differences, both sides were unanimous
in the need to protect the rights of Serbs and other
ethnic minorities who face discrimination violence
from Albanian extremists in Kosovo. 

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http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=46268&NrIssue=210&NrSection=20

MakFax (Macedonia) - December 4, 2006

Russia warns: compromise or veto on Kosovo status decision

Belgrade - Russian ambassador to Serbia Aleksandar
Alekseyev told Belgrade's Radio B92 that Russia is set
to use its veto right at the UN Security Council
should a Kosovo status solution fail to be acceptable
for both Belgrade and Pristina.
He also said it was naïve to reach a conclusion that
the Kosovo negotiations are a failure, “after only one
meeting that lasted two hours”. 
“I must say we are strictly adhering to our position
regarding the solution of the Kosovo status issue. In
case the status solution is not acceptable for both
sides, for Belgrade and Pristina, Russia will exercise
its veto rights”, Alekseyev said. 
“I must stress that the Kosovo problem must be solved
in line with the international law, with the
principles of European security, and the UN Security
Council resolution 1244. And Kosovo temporary
institutions prime minister Agim Ceku was briefed
about this position in detail during his recent visit
to Moscow”, the Russian ambassador said.

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http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1229429.php/Russia_will_use_veto_to_stop_Kosovo_independence_ambassador

Deutsche Presse-Agentur - December 4, 2006

Russia will use veto to stop Kosovo independence: ambassador

Belgrade - Russia's ambassador to Serbia Alexander
Alexeyev said Monday that Russia would use its veto
within the United Nations Security Council to block
any decision supporting independence for Kosovo. 
Alexeyev told B92 radio in Belgrade that any solution
on Kosovo's status must be acceptable to both the
ethnic Albanian majority of the breakaway Serbian
province and the government in Belgrade. 
He also criticized UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari for
saying that a negotiated compromise between Belgrade
and the Kosovo Albanian side was not possible. 
Ahtisaari mediated in talks between the two sides
earlier this year and is expected to present a
proposed solution on the status of Kosovo early in
2007. 
Alexeyev said that Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku had
been briefed on Russia's stance when visited Moscow
late last week. 
The Serbian Government wants to maintain sovereignty
over the province, which has been administered by the
UN since 1999. The Albanian majority in Kosovo is
pushing for full independence from Serbia. 

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http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11641985

Interfax - December 5, 2006

Moscow opposes sanctions against any party to Kosovo settlement - Lavrov

BRUSSELS - Russia considers possible imposition of UN
Security Council sanctions on any party to the Kosovo
settlement as counterproductive, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said. 
"I cannot see how the UN Security Council could take
any steps providing for sanctions on any of the
parties," Lavrov said at a meeting with Serbian
Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic on Tuesday in Brussels.

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http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11052360&PageNum=1

Itar-Tass - December 5, 2006

Russia slams UN sanctions on one party to Kosovo conflict

BRUSSELS - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has
described as counter-productive UN Security Council
sanctions against one party to the Kosovo conflict. 
“I see no reason how the UN Security Council can have
anything in common with projects implying sanctions
against one of the parties,” Lavrov said after talks
with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Draskovic. 
“We reaffirmed our position regarding the
implementation of the UN resolution on Kosovo,” Lavrov
said. “This is the basic document we shall rely on in
determining the territory’s status.” 

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http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/12/05/kosovo.shtml

MosNews - December 5, 2006 

Russia Will Veto Kosovo Solution Unless Acceptable for Both Sides — Envoy

Russia could use its veto power in the U.N. Security
Council to block a solution for Kosovo’s status if
both sides are not in agreement, Russia’s ambassador
to Serbia said Monday, according to a news report.
Russia would veto any solution for the contested
province that is not agreed upon by both Serbia and
the province’s separatist ethnic Albanians, Aleksander
Alexeyev said, according to B92 Radio and Television.
“In case the status solution is not acceptable to both
sides — both Belgrade and Pristina — the Russian side
will use its veto power,” Alekseyev was quoted as
saying.
There was no immediate confirmation of the comments by
the Russian Embassy in Belgrade. Alexeyev spoke in
Russian with a Serbian translation by B92, The
Associated Press reports. 
Kosovo is formally part of Serbia, but its majority
ethnic Albanians overwhelmingly support independence
for the province — the demand that Serbia has vowed
never to accept.
International talks aimed at defining a solution for
Kosovo started early this year under U.N. mediation,
but so far have produced no result because the two
sides remain entrenched in their positions.
The Kosovo issue is believed to be the last potential
flashpoint in the Balkans.
Following lack of progress in the talks, U.N. envoy
Martti Ahtisaari has started working on a proposal for
the province. The draft solution is expected to be
presented to major world powers of the so-called
Contact Group, and the two sides in the talks early
next year.
The future solution also needs approval at the U.N.
Security Council — where Russia has veto power —
before it can take effect.
Serbian officials repeatedly have said they count on
Russia’s veto in the Security Council to prevent
Kosovo independence, but Alexeyev comments to B92 mark
the first time a Russian official confirmed such a
possibility. There was no immediate comment from
Moscow.
Russia in the past has urged both sides to find a
negotiated settlement and warned against one-sided
solutions. Moscow fears that Kosovo independence could
set a precedent for Russian-backed separatist regions
in the former Soviet Union.
Kosovo became an international protectorate in 1999,
after NATO intervened in the province to stop a
Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.
Russia is considered to be a traditional Serbian ally.
Both countries share strong cultural, historic and
religious ties.

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http://www.today.az/news/politics/33544.html

Associated Press - December 5, 2006

Serbian minister accuses West of double standards

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic accused the
international community of applying double standards
in its dealings with Kosovo and urged the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe not to trample
over its own principle of respecting the territorial
integrity of its members.
Draskovic told a meeting of foreign ministers from the
OSCE's 56 member states that Serbia will not accept
independence for Kosovo and complained that all
proposed solutions of the final status of the province
ignore Serbia's interests.
"We are victims of double standards. Serbia is being
considered a unique case. No borders can be changed
except those of Serbia," Draskovic said. 
"This summit should send a clear message that Serbia
is a state like any other state and that its
internationally recognized borders cannot be altered
or renamed against its will."
The two-day conference of the trans-Atlantic security
group focused on Europe's "frozen" conflicts in
ex-Soviet republics and Kosovo, which has been run by
a U.N. administration as an international protectorate
since 1999, after NATO airstrikes ended a crackdown by
Belgrade on separatist ethnic Albanian rebels.
The United Nations has been mediating talks on the
province's future status. A solution has been
postponed until after Jan. 21 parliamentary elections
in Serbia for fears a decision unfavorable to Serbia
could bring radical forces back to power, but
Draskovic said U.S. undersecretary of state Nicholas
Burns told him there would be no more delays.
The meeting also centered on long-running disputes in
ex-Soviet countries — the so-called "frozen" conflicts
in the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, where Russian peacekeepers are accused
by Georgia of siding with the separatists; on the
pro-Russian separatist Trans-Dniester province of
Moldova; and on the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region
of Azerbaijan.
Russia clashed with the United States and western
European nations over its military involvement on
Georgian and Moldovan territories, refusing to discuss
its commitment to withdraw troops and effectively
ruining chances of a common declaration at the
security conference Tuesday.
The OSCE also assessed Kazakhstan's candidacy for 2009
chairmanship of the trans-Atlantic security group, but
was likely to recommend that the Central Asian country
takes over the rotating annual presidency a year or
two later to have more time to implement democratic
reforms — despite Kazakhstan's refusal to accept a
delay to its bid.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the
OSCE of one-sided efforts to push through what he
called "politicized solutions" to conflicts in former
Soviet republics where the Russians are heavily
involved.
....
Armenia and Azerbaijan are discussing terms of holding
a referendum on the status of the mountainous region
in Azerbaijan that has been under control of Armenian
and ethnic Armenian Karabakh forces since the 1994 end
of a separatist war.
De Gucht said no agreement was possible on the
situation in Georgia at the current conference.
....
The OSCE, a leading international security
organization founded in 1975, is concerned
particularly with conflict prevention, election
observing, crisis management and rehabilitation of
post-conflict areas. 

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http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=46366&NrIssue=211&NrSection=20

MakFax (Macedonia) - December 5, 2006

Ivanov warns of renewed clashes if Belgrade and Pristina fail to agree

Athens - Renewed clashes can break out in the Balkans
if Belgrade and Pristina fail to reach an agreement on
Kosovo's future status, Russian Defense Minister
Sergei Ivanov told the Greek newspaper Elephterotypia.
As regards the Kosovo issue, there are factors that
might cause escalation of clashes on an international
level and the interference of neighboring countries in
such a conflict, Ivanov said.
"This is the reason why Russia pledges for the
continuation of the negotiation process given the
principle that a bad peace is better than a good war,"
he added.
Russian defense minister made it clear that the Kosovo
status issue and the Kosovo border issue could be
solved only through an agreement between Belgrade and
Pristina. 

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http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2006&mm=12&dd=05&nav_category=92&nav_id=38419

B92, FoNet, Beta (Serbia) - December 5, 2006

Burns surprised by Russian veto announcement 

BELGRADE - Nicholas Burns is surprised by yesterday’s
statement made by Russia’s ambassador to Serbia.
Russian ambassador to Serbia Aleksandar Alekseyev told
B92 that Russia is set to use its veto right at the UN
Security Council should Kosovo status solution fail to
be acceptable for both Belgrade and Priština.
“I cannot believe that a permanent member of the
Security Council is threatening to veto even though we
have not seen Ahtisaari’s proposal yet,” the U.S.
undersecretary of state said. 
Burns said that the Russian ambassador “might have
been misquoted,” and added that he is “very surprised”
to hear “something like that.” 
Such statements “are not constructive”
American ambassador to Serbia, Michael Polt, shared
the State Department’s worry regarding the possibility
of Russia vetoing a final status solution for Kosovo,
adding that such statements are not constructive. 
He said that he has not talked to Alekseyev about the
situation yet. 
“We have to be very careful and see what was really
said, and that is that Russia will use its influence
to react against something that infringes on its
interests. That is a completely natural statement
because Russia takes care of its own interests.” Polt
said. 
“But, as I said earlier, Russia is a very constructive
member of the Contact Group, where we will cooperate
to find a solution for Kosovo which is acceptable for
the citizens of Kosovo and we wish to work together
with Russia to find such a solution.” Polt said. 

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http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n101070

Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - December 7, 2006

Russia's Possible Veto Guarantee for Preservation of Kosovo: Sanda Raskovc-Ivic 

Belgrade - The announcement that Russia will veto a
possible decision on Kosovo's independence at the
Security Council is very encouraging President of the
Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Sanda
Raskovc-Ivic has said, as quoted by the Serbian Tanjug
agency. 
He has further underscored that this announcement
represents a confirmation that Kosovo will remain an
integral part of Serbia. 

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http://en.rian.ru/world/20061208/56643696.html

Russian Information Agency (Novosti) - December 8, 2006

Kosovo resolution may induce 'chain reaction' - FM official 

MOSCOW - A unilateral and imposed approach to the
solution of the Kosovo issue would almost certainly
result in a chain reaction involving other "frozen
conflicts," a Russian Foreign Ministry official said
Friday. 
Russia has repeatedly said that sovereignty for the
UN-administered Serbian province of Kosovo, which is
sought by the ethnic Albanian majority but opposed by
Belgrade, could have negative consequences for
unresolved conflicts in the former Soviet Union that
erupted in the early 1990s. 
"It is dangerous to ignore the fact that the shape the
future Kosovo resolution takes will set a precedent,"
Alexander Konuzin, the head of the ministry's
department of international organizations, said in an
article for the magazine International Life. 
"Some conflict regions are already trying to
anticipate possible Kosovo resolution variants," he
said. "Russia is not ready to share responsibility for
such a short-sighted policy." 
Russia has peacekeepers stationed in three conflict
zones in the former Soviet Union, two of which are in
Georgia, where the self-proclaimed republics of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia refuse to recognize Tbilisi's
rule, and the other in Moldova, where the unrecognized
Transdnestr republic has sought to break away from the
central authorities. 
Konuzin said that the current Kosovo resolution
process has aroused serious concern. 
"History proves that only a goodwill agreement between
the parties to a conflict following a negotiating
process can guarantee long-term stability," the
official said. 
In late November, thousands of Kosovo Albanians
attacked the United Nations headquarters in the
capital, Pristina, over a delayed decision on their
demand for independence. The region has been a UN
protectorate since NATO's military intervention in
1999. 
The province's final status was to have been
determined this year, but a decision has now been put
off until after a general election in Serbia January 21. 
The diplomat added that collective support was
necessary for the resolution of the conflict. 
Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku, who visited Moscow
with a delegation of Kosovo interim government
officials in late November, reiterated his
determination to continue pressing for the province's
independence and to secure its recognition as a
sovereign state by the UN Security Council and other
international organizations. 

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http://www.vor.ru/index_eng.phtml?view=news4_eng&id=933

Voice of Russia - December 8, 2006

The Serbian and the Russian view of the future of
Kosovo come close together 

S

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