UN envoy recommends Kosovo independence

Agencies
Monday March 26, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Independence is "the only viable option" for Kosovo, according to the
UN’s envoy to the province.

Martti Ahtisaari, who mediated in year-long talks between ethnic
Albanians and Serbs in the former Yugoslav province, delivered his
proposals to the UN security council today.

In an introductory report, Mr Ahtisaari made his conclusions clear,
saying that "upon careful consideration of Kosovo’s recent history,
the realities of Kosovo today, and taking into account negotiations
with the parties, I have come to the conclusion that the only viable
option for Kosovo is independence, to be supervised for an initial
period by the international community".

It was the first time he had explicitly mentioned independence in a
document dealing with the 90% Albanian province’s future.

Mr Ahtisaari’s proposals would grant Kosovo its own constitution,
flag, anthem and army, combined with some rights of self-government
for the 100,000-strong Serb minority.

But the province would not be totally autonomous immediately, with the
plans envisaging a European Union overseer. The UN has administered
Kosovo since 1999, when Nato air strikes ended a Serbian crackdown on
ethnic Albanian separatists. An estimated 10,000 ethnic Albanians and
1,000 Serbs were killed during the 1998-1999 war.

The UN plan is an attempt to resolve the final major dispute remaining
after Yugoslavia’s bloody break-up in the 1990s.

The foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, said Mr Ahtisaari’s proposals
gave Kosovo clarity over its future, that "would enable the Balkan
region as a whole to draw a line under the conflicts of the recent
past".

"We look forward to working with our partners in the UN security
council, on the basis of the UN special envoy’s settlement proposals,
to bring the status process through to completion," she said in a
statement.

Stressing the urgency of the issue, Mr Ahtisaari said that allowing
the territory’s status to remain ambiguous was a destabilising factor.

"Independence is the best safeguard against this risk," he wrote. "It
is also the best chance for a sustainable long-term partnership
between Kosovo and Serbia."

The envoy presented his proposals to regional leaders in
February. Ethnic Albanians supported the plan, while Serbian
officials, opposed to the province’s secession, rejected it, saying it
granted Kosovo de facto independence.

"A return of Serbian rule over Kosovo would not be acceptable to the
overwhelming majority of the people of Kosovo," Mr Ahtisaari wrote in
his report.

"Belgrade could not regain its authority without provoking violent
opposition.

Autonomy of Kosovo within the borders of Serbia – however notional
such autonomy may be – is simply not tenable."

He added that continued international administration was not
sustainable, saying: "Only in an independent Kosovo will its
democratic institutions be fully responsible and accountable for their
actions. This will be crucial to ensure respect for the rule of law
and effective protection of minorities." Mr Ahtisaari noted that
Kosovo’s Serb community continued to face difficult living conditions.

After the war, the Serb minority was targeted in revenge attacks and
about 200,000 of them were forced to flee the province.

"I therefore propose that the exercise of Kosovo’s independence … be
supervised and supported for an initial period by international
civilian and military presences," he wrote. "Their powers should be
strong – but focused – in critical areas such as community rights,
decentralisation, the protection of the Serbian Orthodox church, and
the rule of law."

The plan faces an uncertain future in the security council, which is
split on the issue. Russia supports Serbia, while the United States
and the EU back the UN plan.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and other officials have said
that granting Kosovo statehood could set a precedent for separatist
regions in former Soviet republics.