DETERMINATION OF KOSOVO STATUS WILL BECOME A PRECEDENT FOR THE UNRECOGNIZED REPUBLICS IN CIS, RF FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS
arminfo
2007-12-08 13:11:00
ArmInfo. Any decision on Kosovo status will become a precedent for
the unrecognized republics in the post-Soviet area, Foreign Minister
of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov said, Friday. ‘Certainly,
the way Kosovo crisis will be managed will have a precedent. It
will happen not because we say so or because our western partners
deny it. Neither they nor we must decide it’, S. Lavrov said at a
press conference in Brussels after Russian-NATO Council when asked
if Kosovo settlement will influence the conflicts in Georgia.
He said many countries, including in the Balkans, follow the
developments in Kosovo. Those who think of taking undue freedom
with the international law, UN Statute, and Helsinki final act
"must think well before starting this very slippery slop that may be
pregnant with unpredictable consequences and will not add stability
in Europe", the minister said. He believes that the key obstacle to
the settlement was Pristina’s stand. ‘We are sure that the troika of
negotiators for Kosovo problem settlement has managed to carry out
rather a useful work. Direct negotiations were started. Belgrad made
a number of consistent, constructive and flexible proposals. There
is a real opportunity for an agreement on all the issues raised by
Belgrad. Lack of any response action by Pristina prevents resolution’,
Lavrov said. He reiterated his call on all those who say in public
that Kosovo independence has no alternative "not to block negotiations
and allow the parties to find mutually admissible stands." Since 1999
Kosovo region has been formally remaining part of Serbia’s territory
and under management of the UN.
Belgrad-Pristina negotiations for the final status of the
region continuing in Vienna with mediation of the special envoy
of UN Secretary General Marti Ahtisaari within the year 2006
brought no result. The problem was entrusted to the troika of
mediators. Aleksander Botsan-Kharchenko represents Russia in the
troika of international mediators Frank Wisner of the US and Wolfgang
Ischinger of the European Union. Kosovo insists on independence,
Serbia is ready to provide the region with an autonomy status only. The
report on Kosovo the "troika" will extraordinarily submit to the UN
Security Council says that Belgrad and Pristina failed to agree on
the future status of the region. After the report is made, Kosovo
will unilaterally declare independence, experts suppose.