Kosovo sovereignty plan raises tensions in the heart of Europe
Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor

The TimesUK
January 27, 2007

Kosovo took an important step on the road to independence from Serbia
yesterday, after a United Nations envoy revealed plans that could lead
towards full sovereignty.

The move triggered an immediate diplomatic row between Western nations
and Russia, which sought to delay the initiative drawn up by Martti
Ahtisaari. It also raised fears of violence on the streets.

Although details of Mr Ahtisaari’s plan were kept secret, it is known
that they would allow Kosovo to join international organisations, such
as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and, eventually,
the UN itself.

Kosovo would also be allowed to raise its own security force and its
citizens to have dual nationality.

The plan sets out protections for the rights of minorities, mainly the
Serb population concentrated in northern Kosovo, who want to remain
part of the Serbian homeland.

During the transition period Kosovo would remain in a state of
`supervised independence’, much as Bosnia is today. An `international
civilian representative’, probably appointed by the European Union,
would oversee the government and Nato would maintain its 16,000strong
force in the area to deter any ethnic unrest.

News of the plan met a frosty reception in Moscow. The Russian
representative at the meeting in Vienna of the six-nation Contact
Group said that more time was needed and cautioned against `hasty
moves’. Moscow, which has traditionally supported its Orthodox
brethren in Belgrade, wants discussions halted until a new Serbian
government is formed, a process that could drag on until the end of
May.

America, Britain, France, Germany and Italy, the other members of the
Contact Group, insist that the plan must be presented to the Serb and
Kosovo sides without delay.

Although Moscow is isolated, it still has the power to block the plan
when it comes for approval at the UN Security Council, where Russia
has the right of veto.

Much of what happens next depends upon Mr Ahtisaari’s diplomatic
skills. On Friday he is due to unveil his plan to Serb and Kosovan
leaders and is prepared to make changes to the document to reach a
compromise.

That did not look very promising last night. In Belgrade, Vojislav
Kostunica, the Serb Prime Minister, said that he would refuse to meet
Mr Ahtisaari until a new government was in place. Like many Serb
nationalists, who did well in general elections this month, Mr
Kostunica is strongly opposed to independence for Kosovo, which is
regarded as the cradle of the Serb nation.

`Any attempt to impose independence for Kosovo would mean a forcible
change of Serbia’s internationally recognised borders,’ Vuk Draskovic,
the Serbian Foreign Minister, said.

In Pristina, the Kosovo capital, Agim Ceku, the Prime Minister, faced
the opposite problem from the Albanian community of Kosovo, who make
up 90 per cent of the population.

His people have been clam-ouring for independence ever since Nato
forces drove the Serb military out of the province in 1999, after
years of oppressive rule against the Albanian population, which
included murders, arrests and ethnic cleansing.

While Western leaders are sympathetic to the demands of the majority
of Kosovo’s people, diplomats said that they must move
carefully. There are fears that any unilateral action could provoke a
new round of ethnic violence. There is also concern that pushing for
the creation of a new state in the heart of Europe could prompt other
separatist territories to press home their demands for independence,
triggering a new period of instability.