Security Council on Kosovo in early April

Security Council on Kosovo in early April

Sources have confirmed that the session will likely be scheduled as soon as the UK takes over the Security Council presidency in April.

While Serbian prime minister Vojislav Koštunica said Russia’s veto on the controversial plan would have “the deepest historic meaning for Serbia and the Serbian nation”, Russian diplomacy chief Sergei Lavrov said yesterday it was “premature” to talk about the Kosovo resolution vote at the UN.

Ahead of a Security Council session, Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin Tuesday proposed sending a fact-finding mission to Kosovo.

Churkin said he looked forward to discussing the UN plan with Ahtisaari, RFE reported.

"I don't want to criticize Mr. Ahtisaari's proposal behind the back of Mr. Ahtisaari, with whom Russia has had all sorts of very close relationships in the past, and we've been supporting his negotiating efforts in the past 18 months in this capacity," Churkin said.

"We do have some issues and I am looking forward to discussing them in the presence of Martti Ahtisaari when he comes here to Security Council."

Churkin also said he proposed that the Security Council send a mission to Kosovo and Serbia so it has "all the information it can possibly get on the situation there before considering this proposal."

He also called on the council to request "a comprehensive review" of the implementation of Resolution 1244, adopted on June 10, 1999, that ended a 78-day NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.

U.S. under secretary for political affairs Nicholas Burns that his country would “work with Russia, an important Security Council permanent member, in the hope that Russia will support the UN plan.”

Burns described announcements of possible unilateral recognition of Kosovo’s independence as “very hypothetical”, stressing that “the best solution would be for a resolution to pass the UN Security Council.”