UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET BEHIND CLOSED DOORS ON KOSOVO

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.02.2008 13:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The UN Security Council will meet Thursday behind
closed doors at the request of Serbia and Russia, the council’s
president Panama’s UN Ambassador Ricardo Alberto Arias said.

"The council agreed that the meeting shall be held as a private
debate and the Serbian foreign minister will be invited to
participate. Representatives of Kosovo were not invited," he said.

In a letter sent to the council president on Tuesday, Serbia urged to
consider the grave situation in Kosovo where a unilateral declaration
of independence is expected soon. Russia supported the Serbian request,
the UN news center said.

In Belgrade, media have speculated Serbia would recall ambassadors
and cut off diplomatic relations with various countries that recognize
Kosovo’s independence.

The Serbian government has only said it will "annul" the proclamation,
and has threatened to take legal action against countries that
recognize Kosovo.

But its traditional ally Moscow was not planning any punitive measures
in response to the move, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"Russia does not have among its political instruments any measures
for punishing anyone" but was convinced unilateral independence
"would be a mistake," Lavrov said in Slovenia after meeting with
senior EU officials.