ENB Kosovo
Kosovo deadlock talks fail
U.N. Security Council unable to break impasse over Kosovo's future
Kosovo wants independence; Serbia wants autonomy for Kosovo
U.S. ambassador: Irreconcilable positions with regard to the final status
Both sides had key supporters on the Security Council
U.N. Security Council unable to break impasse over Kosovo's future
Kosovo wants independence; Serbia wants autonomy for Kosovo
U.S. ambassador: Irreconcilable positions with regard to the final status
Both sides had key supporters on the Security Council
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Talks over the future of Kosovo have reached an impasse at the U.N. Security Council, diplomats said Wednesday, and Serbia's leader warned of a dangerous "new era" if Western powers recognized Kosovo's independence.
The United States and European Union members are at loggerheads with Russia, Serbia's historical ally, over whether Kosovo should be independent from Serbia.
Kosovo, a majority-Albanian province in Serbia, has been under U.N. control since the end of the 1999 war between the NATO allies and the former Yugoslavia.
"The parties have irreconcilable positions with regard to the final status," said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. "It is our judgment that the current situation is unsustainable."
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned that international recognition of Kosovo's independence risked undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of U.N. members, which he said is the basis of the world body's charter.
"If one puts that into question ... a new era and a very dangerous era in international relations may start," Kostunica said.
But Belgian Ambassador Johan Verbeke said Kosovo is a one-of-a-kind case "that does not set any precedent."
The disputed province is dear to Serbs who regard it as Serbian territory. But it is equally coveted by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, Muslims who have a 90 percent majority.
Kostunica said his government would not go to war to prevent Kosovo from becoming independent, pressing its case under international law instead. But the prime minister said a unilateral declaration of independence would would violate the U.N. resolution that ended the 1999 conflict.
"Resolution 1244 cannot be changed by some countries or group of countries piece by piece," he said.
Kosovo has been under U.N. supervision and patrolled by a NATO-led peacekeeping force since the end of the three-month war, in which NATO warplanes pounded Serbia to roll back a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" of the province's Albanian population under former then-President Slobodan Milosevic.
The president of the province's government, Fatmir Sejdiu, told reporters that his government was ready to take steps toward declaring independence and promised his government would seek friendly relations with Serbia.
"Kosovo could never forget the tragedies that we have gone through," he said. "They will live forever in our memories. But we also committed to having good relations with the Serb people and all the peoples of the region."
Following an EU summit in Brussels last week, European leaders agreed to send an 1,800-strong security force to maintain stability in the province ahead of any declaration of independence.
But Russia, which has fought two wars against separatist rebels in its southwestern republic of Chechnya, warned Monday that U.S. and European support for Kosovo's independence could lead to an "uncontrollable crisis" in the Balkans.
"Certainly, Russia is not going to recognize a unilateral declaration of independence, and I can assure you that there will be very many countries in this building whose attitude to that would be very negative," Vitaly Churkin, Moscow's U.N. ambassador, said Wednesday. "But let's not jump to conclusions."
Washington and its European allies urged Russia to embrace former Finnish President Marti Ahtisaari's proposal for a kind of supervised independence for Kosovo, but Kostunica called the plan dead.
Khalilzad said the United States believes the plan can be implemented without violating the cease-fire resolution, and it should be done "in order not to allow the situation to get out of control in Kosovo and pose a threat to peace and stability."
CNN U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth contributed to this report
The United States and European Union members are at loggerheads with Russia, Serbia's historical ally, over whether Kosovo should be independent from Serbia.
Kosovo, a majority-Albanian province in Serbia, has been under U.N. control since the end of the 1999 war between the NATO allies and the former Yugoslavia.
"The parties have irreconcilable positions with regard to the final status," said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. "It is our judgment that the current situation is unsustainable."
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned that international recognition of Kosovo's independence risked undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of U.N. members, which he said is the basis of the world body's charter.
"If one puts that into question ... a new era and a very dangerous era in international relations may start," Kostunica said.
But Belgian Ambassador Johan Verbeke said Kosovo is a one-of-a-kind case "that does not set any precedent."
The disputed province is dear to Serbs who regard it as Serbian territory. But it is equally coveted by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, Muslims who have a 90 percent majority.
Kostunica said his government would not go to war to prevent Kosovo from becoming independent, pressing its case under international law instead. But the prime minister said a unilateral declaration of independence would would violate the U.N. resolution that ended the 1999 conflict.
"Resolution 1244 cannot be changed by some countries or group of countries piece by piece," he said.
Kosovo has been under U.N. supervision and patrolled by a NATO-led peacekeeping force since the end of the three-month war, in which NATO warplanes pounded Serbia to roll back a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" of the province's Albanian population under former then-President Slobodan Milosevic.
The president of the province's government, Fatmir Sejdiu, told reporters that his government was ready to take steps toward declaring independence and promised his government would seek friendly relations with Serbia.
"Kosovo could never forget the tragedies that we have gone through," he said. "They will live forever in our memories. But we also committed to having good relations with the Serb people and all the peoples of the region."
Following an EU summit in Brussels last week, European leaders agreed to send an 1,800-strong security force to maintain stability in the province ahead of any declaration of independence.
But Russia, which has fought two wars against separatist rebels in its southwestern republic of Chechnya, warned Monday that U.S. and European support for Kosovo's independence could lead to an "uncontrollable crisis" in the Balkans.
"Certainly, Russia is not going to recognize a unilateral declaration of independence, and I can assure you that there will be very many countries in this building whose attitude to that would be very negative," Vitaly Churkin, Moscow's U.N. ambassador, said Wednesday. "But let's not jump to conclusions."
Washington and its European allies urged Russia to embrace former Finnish President Marti Ahtisaari's proposal for a kind of supervised independence for Kosovo, but Kostunica called the plan dead.
Khalilzad said the United States believes the plan can be implemented without violating the cease-fire resolution, and it should be done "in order not to allow the situation to get out of control in Kosovo and pose a threat to peace and stability."
CNN U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth contributed to this report
UN fails to break Kosovo impasse
The US and EU have said the potential for further negotiations over the future of Kosovo has been exhausted. In a statement after talks at the UN Security Council failed to break the impasse, they said the EU would take the lead in implementing a settlement.
Backed by the US and EU members, the Kosovo Albanians are expected to declare independence from Serbia.
Serbia, and its ally in the council, Russia, said that such a move would be illegal and urged further negotiations.
Last week, the EU said it was prepared to send 1,800 police officers and administrators to Kosovo.
Legal dispute looms
Following a closed debate described as tense, in which the Security Council heard from the Serbian prime minister and Kosovo's president, representatives from the US and EU stood together and said the two sides were irreconcilable.
"It's clear in our view that more negotiations in this or any other format will not make a difference," said Belgium's permanent representative, Johan Verbeke.
We are entirely confident that resolution 1244 provides a sufficient legal base to move forward to a final settlement Sir John Sawers UK representative to the UN
"We therefore endorse the view of the European Union and US negotiators that the potential for a negotiated solution is now exhausted."
The statement said the EU stood "ready to play a leading role in implementing a settlement defining Kosovo's future status".
In April, UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari put forward a plan offering Kosovo "supervised independence".
Under the proposal, international agencies would gradually steer Kosovo towards full independence and membership of the UN. But they would also prevent it from merging with Albania, or having its Serb areas split off to become part of Serbia.
Both the US and UK representatives said Security Council resolution 1244, which was passed after Nato threw Serbia out of Kosovo in 1999, allowed for the implementation of Mr Ahtisaari's plan.
"We would have preferred to do that through the Security Council, but we are entirely confident that resolution 1244 provides a sufficient legal base to move forward to a final settlement and to establish the necessary authorities needed to achieve that," said the UK's envoy, Sir John Sawers.
'Null and void'
But the joint US-EU statement drew a sharp reaction from Russia.
Its representative at the UN, Vitaly Churkin, insisted there was still "ample ground" for negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina to continue.
"Any move towards unilateral independence would clearly be outside the limits of international law and outside the limits of resolution 1244," he told reporters after the meeting.
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said his country would declare "all unilateral acts of Albanian separatists null and void" - Kosovo would remain and integral and inalienable part of Serbia forever.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan in New York says Western diplomats expect Kosovo to declare its intention to become independent early next year and for the EU to take up the issue once Serbian elections have taken place in February.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Backed by the US and EU members, the Kosovo Albanians are expected to declare independence from Serbia.
Serbia, and its ally in the council, Russia, said that such a move would be illegal and urged further negotiations.
Last week, the EU said it was prepared to send 1,800 police officers and administrators to Kosovo.
Legal dispute looms
Following a closed debate described as tense, in which the Security Council heard from the Serbian prime minister and Kosovo's president, representatives from the US and EU stood together and said the two sides were irreconcilable.
"It's clear in our view that more negotiations in this or any other format will not make a difference," said Belgium's permanent representative, Johan Verbeke.
We are entirely confident that resolution 1244 provides a sufficient legal base to move forward to a final settlement Sir John Sawers UK representative to the UN
"We therefore endorse the view of the European Union and US negotiators that the potential for a negotiated solution is now exhausted."
The statement said the EU stood "ready to play a leading role in implementing a settlement defining Kosovo's future status".
In April, UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari put forward a plan offering Kosovo "supervised independence".
Under the proposal, international agencies would gradually steer Kosovo towards full independence and membership of the UN. But they would also prevent it from merging with Albania, or having its Serb areas split off to become part of Serbia.
Both the US and UK representatives said Security Council resolution 1244, which was passed after Nato threw Serbia out of Kosovo in 1999, allowed for the implementation of Mr Ahtisaari's plan.
"We would have preferred to do that through the Security Council, but we are entirely confident that resolution 1244 provides a sufficient legal base to move forward to a final settlement and to establish the necessary authorities needed to achieve that," said the UK's envoy, Sir John Sawers.
'Null and void'
But the joint US-EU statement drew a sharp reaction from Russia.
Its representative at the UN, Vitaly Churkin, insisted there was still "ample ground" for negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina to continue.
"Any move towards unilateral independence would clearly be outside the limits of international law and outside the limits of resolution 1244," he told reporters after the meeting.
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said his country would declare "all unilateral acts of Albanian separatists null and void" - Kosovo would remain and integral and inalienable part of Serbia forever.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan in New York says Western diplomats expect Kosovo to declare its intention to become independent early next year and for the EU to take up the issue once Serbian elections have taken place in February.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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