Serbian Position Will Not Change: Autonomy Yes, Independence — Never
President Putin: Russia Will Oppose Any Settlement that Violates Serbia’s Integrity
BELGRADE, Serbia, Jan. 15, 2007 (Sources: Associated Press, Tanjug) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered assurances Monday that Moscow would oppose any settlement for the Serbian Kosovo province that violates Serbia’s integrity.
Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica spoke in Belgrade after a telephone conversation with President Putin in Moscow. During the conversation the Russian leader told Serbian Prime Minister that “the U.N. Security Council cannot support a solution by the special U.N. envoy for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari that is not acceptable to Belgrade.”
Putin said in September that his country would use its veto power in the U.N. Security Council if it disagrees with a proposal by Ahtisaari.
Ahtisaari last year mediated mostly inconclusive talks on Kosovo’s future. In a few weeks, he is expected to propose a solution, “possibly some form of supervised independence” for the southern Serbian province. The province’s Albanian Muslim population wants independence, but Belgrade has vowed never to agree to the amputation of part of its sovereign territory.
Kremlin Statement: Any Proposal Must Be Acceptable to Serbia
A Kremlin statement said that during a telephone conversation, President Putin affirmed Russia’s fundamental position on the issue of Kosovo province — that any proposal must be acceptable to Serbia.
Ahtisaari’s widely anticipated but as yet-unannounced proposal would need U.N. Security Council approval before becoming an internationally accepted solution for the Serbian province, which has been under the NATO/UN administration since June 1999, after the end of 78 day US-led NATO bombardment of Serbia.
“President Putin has stressed that a solution must be derived from the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of existing countries,” Kostunica told reporters, reiterating that Serbia cannot and will not accept the loss of 15 percent of its territory.
Legally an integral part of Serbia, Kosovo province has been run by a U.N. mission and NATO troops since the 1999 war between Serbian army and Albanian Muslim separatists. Won on the ground by the Serbian army, the war instigated the punitive aggression by the U.S./NATO which bombed Serbia for three months, demanding that Serbian troops be pulled out of their southern province.
Moscow has not specified what solution for Kosovo it would like to see, but Kostunica said Putin believes anything without consent from both sides would “lead to unnecessary conflicts.”
Serbia’s Prime Minister thanked the Russian President for the support, adding that “Putin’s word has brought about a turnaround” in debates on Serbian province’s future.
Contrary to Russian support, the United States has repeatedly signaled to Serbia that it should “drop” its opposition to the hijacking of their province.
Prime Minister Karamanlis: Greece Backs Mutually Acceptable Solution for Kosovo
BELGRADE, Serbia (ANA-MPA - A. Panagopoulos), Jan. 17, 2007 — Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis underlined Athens’ backing for a mutually acceptable solution in Kosovo that would define and promote its multi-ethnic character, following talks with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica in Belgrade on Tuesday.
Karamanlis stressed that Greece, as a country within the region, was fully aware of the need for such a solution for the security and stability of southeastern Europe.
Kostunica said that a solution must be based on compromise and must be in agreement with international law, while respecting the borders and the integrity of the country.
He said that Serbia would not accept any solution that did not respect international law and the United Nations charter, nor any solution that was imposed and did not arise through compromise.
The Serbian Premier also stressed that compromise could only be achieved through negotiations and voiced complaints about the lack of movement in UN-led negotiations over the past six months, though noting that UN special envoy for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari was expected to present his proposals on January 26, shortly after general elections taking place in Serbia on Sunday.
Karamanlis and Kostunica also discussed the construction of new roadways to enhance infrastructure in the area.
Earlier on Tuesday, after being received by Serbian President Boris Tadic, Karamanlis had stressed that the solution for Kosovo province must respect human and minority rights, while providing protection to the Serbian Orthodox Church in the province.
The Greek Prime Minister underlined that all sides must avoid unilateral actions that attempt to preempt the results of the process now underway.
President Tadic: Autonomy, Not Independence
Tadic stressed that Belgrade could not accept any form of independence for Kosovo and said that this would lead to destabilization, noting that the Serbian position could be summed up as “full autonomy, not independence”. He also underlined that Serbian policy for southern Kosovo province will not be affected by the upcoming elections.
The Greek prime minister expressed hope that Serbian general elections on Sunday would be carried out in a way that demonstrated the country’s democratic maturity to the international community, adding that a democratic government with a European orientation would accelerate the rate of progress toward the EU after the polls. He noted that the climate toward Serbia within the EU was more positive than in the past.