Ahtisaari not to propose immediate Kosovo independence

01/11/2006

UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's proposal for a solution to the Kosovo status issue will reportedly outline a series of conditions the province would have to meet on its path to full independence from Serbia.

(Reuters, DPA, AKI, International Herald Tribune, UPI, B92, Makfax - 31/10/06)

The solution the UN envoy for the Kosovo status talks is expected to propose later this month will outline a gradual path towards statehood, according to reports Tuesday (October 31st).

Citing a Brussels-based diplomat, the German news agency DPA said the plan provides for an interim period, during which the province would have to meet a number of criteria that would eventually lead it to full independence from Serbia.

The conditions include full enforcement of the rule of law, as well as eradicating corruption from government bodies. By meeting these benchmarks, the Kosovo Albanians would prove "that they are ready to assume responsibility for their full independence", the official noted.

The proposal also reportedly envisions the creation of six municipalities to be dominated by Kosovo Serbs -- the second largest ethnic group in the province. A new constitution would ensure that the rights of Kosovo's minorities are protected.

Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president who has been leading the UN-sponsored talks on Kosovo's final status over the past eight months, briefed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan about his ideas at the weekend. He is next due to present his plan to representatives of the six-nation Contact Group for Kosovo -- Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States -- at a meeting on November 10th.

Following the Group's approval, he will then present his final proposal to the Serbian and Kosovo Albanian negotiating teams.

While technically still part of Serbia, Kosovo has been under UN administration since the end of the 1998-1999 conflict in the province. Its ethnic Albanian majority is demanding full independence from Serbia, while Belgrade insists all it can agree to is "substantial autonomy".

UN-led negotiations between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian officials, launched in Vienna on February 20th, have failed so far to bridge the gap.

The process of deciding Kosovo's future should not be delayed, the US envoy for the status talks, Frank Wisner, said on Tuesday. He was in Belgrade for meetings with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic.

"Delay can only frustrate the hopes of those who live in Kosovo and deny clarity to Serbians…The United States further believes that delay can only leave in limbo the definition of this region, which needs to close its door on the past and to define its future," Wisner added.

Separately Tuesday, the EU envoy for the status talks, Stefan Lehne, called for Kosovo institutions to become more seriously involved in the status settlement process. During talks with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu in Pristina, Lehne also stressed the importance of implementing the internationally set standards for Kosovo.