BELGIUM: EU troika mediated talks between Serbs and breakaway Kosovars

Kosovo's president said on Tuesday (November 20) the breakaway Serb province would coordinate its push for independence with the United States and the EU and wanted to launch the move days after a December deadline for mediation. Wolfgang Ischinger, the German diplomat leading the so-called "troika" negotiations alongside U.S. and Russian counterparts, said earlier he was confident the session -- most likely the penultimate one -- would be productive. Ischinger said he would confer with U.S and Russian officials on whether to float a so-called "status-neutral" proposal to regulate ties between Pristina and Belgrade without pre-judging any future move to decide Kosovo's final status. The idea has its origins in a 1972 pact that normalised ties between West and East Germany without prejudging the question of unification, which only happened 18 years later after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Some diplomats argue Serbia and Russia would agree to such a pact only if EU capitals in return gave guarantees that they would not recognise Kosovo independence in the meantime -- something most European countries would not be willing to do. Arriving in Brussels for talks with Serb officials who oppose Kosovo's independence, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said he expected mediators to present their report on the negotiations to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as scheduled on December 10. Sejdiu said there were no alternatives to independence for the 90 percent ethnic Albanian province. ''Our vision and our stance is very clear: it is the independence of Kosovo and its recognition and we will achieve this in cooperation with all the countries that have helped and are still helping Kosovo. There are absolutely no other alternatives,'' Sejdiu said. EU foreign ministers urged Serb and Kosovo Albanian leaders on Monday (November 19) to redouble efforts to seek a compromise in last-ditch negotiations launched after Serb ally Russia blocked a U.N.-sponsored plan putting Kosovo on the road to independence. But in a sign that EU capitals are increasingly pessimistic of a deal by December 10, several ministers stressed Kosovo Albanians should coordinate any subsequent independence moves with international allies to avoid destabilising the region. Former guerrilla Hashim Thaci, expected to become Kosovo prime minister after Saturday's election, said on Tuesday the province's leaders would cooperate closely with the United States and the European Union. ''We will respect the agenda of the international community and after 10th of December, through cooperation with Washington and Brussels, Kosovo will take our decision for independence but Kosovo will do nothing without coordination with our partners, Washington and Brussels,'' Thaci told reporters in Brussels. Serbia has offered broad autonomy for Kosovo, whose leaders say nothing short of full independence will do. ''For Kosovo, we cannot have a status quo, Kosovo will be independent. And we will be as good neighbours with Serbia, with Montenegro, with Albanians, with Macedonians, and independence of Kosovo will bring peace and stability in the region. As next prime minister of Kosovo, I will cooperate with everybody in the region for peace and stability and for better relations with Serbia too,'' Thaci said. Later on Tuesday, Serb leaders said Serbia has come up with many creative ideas such as Hong Kong or Finland's Alan Island. They said they would argue in the talks that there were historical precedents for such arrangements, citing autonomy provisions agreed for the ex-British colony of Hong Kong, and for Finland's tiny Swedish-speaking Aland Island. Advisor to the Serb government on Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic said the Aland islands of Finland, a group of thousands of islands who enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy, could served as a model for the future status of Kosovo. "It is possible under some circumstances, some investing of good political will to find compromise solution which will be peaceful, long-lasting and sustainable,'' Samardzic said. ''Yet again, Belgrade did come with a fresh idea to the table. I just hope that this attitude is, starts getting matched by the Albanian sides because the Albanian side just came with one proposal, that was a Treaty of Friendship between the two independent states and they are taking with this proposal.. I really think that they are going to add value to this process now that we are entering a real critical stage,'' said Serb Foreign Minister Vuc Jeremic, reaffirming that Belgrade saw Dec. 10 as an artificial deadline and that talks should be open-ended. The United States backs Kosovo independence and British Europe Minister Jim Murphy said on Monday that "well over 20" of the bloc's 27 states agreed, without naming those who were reluctant. Belgrade said ahead of the talks that a declaration of independence by the Albanian majority in Kosovo would lead to new secessionist moves in the Balkans. Such fears are growing in the EU too. Foreign ministers on Monday noted "grave concern" over rising political tensions in multi-ethnic Bosnia and the bloc said it would maintain its 2,500-strong troop presence there for the time being.

ITN Source | November 20, 2007

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