KOSOVO AND SERBIA WAIT FOR RUSSIA’S DECISION AND FEAR OF A NEW WAR

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.05.2007 17:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kosovo and Serbia wait for Russia’s decision on
the voting in the United Nations on the status of the region, fearing
of a new war. Russia has repeatedly underlined that he will support
only such a decision that will satisfy Serbia, which does not agree
with Kosovo’s independence. Russia may use his veto power during the
voting in the UN, which can result in a new war, The Observer reports.

Albanians fear that Russia will not allow them to realize their dream,
for the sake of which they struggled in Kosovo in 1998-1999ies. In
their parts Serbs fear that their Slavonic ally, which is against
the Marti Ahtisaari plan, may refuse to support them in the last
minute proceeding from pragmatic considerations of the international
diplomacy.

The international community, which realizes the control under Kosovo,
is also concerned with the same issue. The region is governed by the
UN-appointed administration. The international community carefully
watches the outcome, which is finally visible 8 years after the war in
Kosovo. In 1999 the conflicts ended with NATO bombardments of Serbia
and Belgrade.

Russia’s opinion plays an important role, since the Ahtisaari plan
was offered by the United Stated for consideration in the UN Security
Council. It became the point of no way back. And the most important
thing here is that Russia, whose international role recently increases
again, is in hostility mood towards the U.S. and European Union on such
various issues, as critics for democracy and Washington’s intentions
to build anti-missile systems in the Eastern Europe. Russia not only
refused to support the Ahtisaari plan, but also warned that in case of
voting he is going to use his veto power. Currently Russia works out
his own counter offer on Kosovo: according to that plan, the region
remains under "the general administration" of Belgrade and the issue
of Kosovo’s final status will be postponed. Some analysts think this
may result in a new outbreak of violence.