Tempus
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Tidskriften
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By WARREN HOGE
Published: July 17, 2007
UNITED NATIONS, July 16
Mr. Ban made his remark in a morning news conference, saying, “I am deeply concerned about the lack of progress” and “any further delay or prolongation in this issue is not desirable, not only for Balkan states, but also for all European countries.”
But following an afternoon session of the Council to consider a draft that had been repeatedly revised to try to meet Moscow’s demands, Vitaly I. Churkin, the Russian ambassador, emerged in a confrontational spirit. Commenting on the possibility of the measure’s passing, he said, “The chances of that are zero.”
Russia opposes any action that would allow Kosovo to declare independence from Serbia, an ally of Moscow, and has hinted strongly that it will use its veto if such a measure comes up for a vote. It has also refused to join the normal Council process of negotiating changes.
“It is our final attempt to try to reach agreement of all members,” Jean-Marc de la Sablière, the French ambassador, said after a hurried meeting of the European and American cosponsors of the draft resolution.
“We went as far as we could to accommodate the concerns of some members,” he said, and indicated that they were no longer open to any further substantial amendments. “We can improve the text, but we cannot change what is the core of the text,” he said.
Mr. de la Sablière said members of the group had decided to consult their capitals overnight to see whether to proceed with their announced plan to press for a decision this week.
Kosovo, with a population that is 90 percent Albanian and 10 percent Serbian, has been administered by the United Nations since 1999.
The resolution, which originally referred to a managed move to letting Kosovo become a separate state, has been revised to drop any suggestion of independence and to allow for 120 days of new negotiations to see if Serbia and Kosovo can reach agreement.
The resolution originally followed the outlines of a plan developed by Martti Ahtisaari, the United Nations envoy, after 13 months of direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina ended in an impasse.
Mr. Churkin said the amendments did not disguise the sponsors’ intent to push for Kosovo’s independence.
Mr. Ban argued that the Ahtisaari plan “contains all the good elements for the future status of Kosovo.” He also turned aside opponents’ arguments that easing the way to independence for Kosovo would encourage separatists elsewhere.
