Rice: Kosovo will never be Serbia’s

Kosovo will never again be part of Serbia, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said in Moscow Wednesday. Even though Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said following Rice-Putin meeting that the Russian President had "supported the American side's understanding that it's necessary to tone down the rhetoric in public statements and concentrate on concrete business," both sides implied they failed to bridge many differences, Kosovo status issue being one of them." Rice: Kosovo will never be Serbia’s "We want to be real partners with the U.S. and I hope that is mutual," Lavrov told a joint news conference with Rice, adding that Russia and the U.S. agreed to seek solutions to a disagreement over the Serb province of Kosovo, but acknowledged there was "no such solution immediately in sight." Soon afterwards Rice told Russian radio station Ekho Movsky the United States hoped to address Russian and Serbian concerns about Kosovo but added: "It's important now to recognize that Kosovo will never again be part of Serbia. It's not possible." Russian President Vladimir Putin also net German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday, when he said that Russia and the EU wanted to resolve current problems, although their viewpoints on how to solve them are different Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said to RIA Novosti that "problems in Russia's relations with some EU countries should not affect interaction with the EU overall". As for Kosovo, Putin told Steinmeiner that he stood for the resumption of the Kosovo dialogue in order to seek a solution acceptable to both Pristina and Belgrade. Putin’s envoy slams Ahtisaari plan One day after Rice’s visit to Moscow, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Russian President’s representative for relations with the EU, told ITAR-tass agency that UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s Kosovo plan “did not meet interests of both sides in its present shape.” “Russia is not going to participate in an experiment to divide a sovereign state against its will,” he said adding that Any formula for Kosovo settlement “must be fair for both sides.” “There can be no successful decision if disrespects the interests of one side and satisfies those of the other,” Yastrzhembsky emphasized. “Such decision plants a time bomb for new conflicts,” he stressed. He also said that Ahtisaari’s plan in its present state did not give a formula that would be equally suitable or unsuitable,” “The international community has means, and what is more important, time to continue searching for a more suitable comprome formula,” Yastrzhembsky said. “West believes it can isolate Russia” The West believes it can isolate Russia at the United Nations over its opposition to Kosovo independence but might struggle to meet a promise of a UN resolution by mid-year, Reuters reports. "The U.S. policy is to get the approval of a very large majority in the (Security) Council; to isolate Russia on the issue," a senior European diplomat told Reuters. "We are continuing very strong lobbying with South Africa, Indonesia and China. Those are the three countries which are not at all secure. We think the others will vote for 'for'." A senior Western official said that Moscow now had to weigh its options. “It could either play along constructively or, if it uses the veto, come out of this process as the spoiler which caused a mess on the ground in Kosovo and undermined the UN," he agued. "Several members of the Council realized the (Western) plan is the only possible option," said the senior Western official, "which gave the Americans the confidence to move ahead." But several diplomats and foreign analysts agreed the promise of a May resolution was overly optimistic. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to keep "important chips in his hand" for the G8, the European diplomat said. "The Russians are signaling they're looking for a way out, but we're not in the endgame yet," Retuers quoted its EU source as saying.

Rice: Kosovo will never be Serbia’s

"We want to be real partners with the U.S. and I hope that is mutual," Lavrov told a joint news conference with Rice, adding that Russia and the U.S. agreed to seek solutions to a disagreement over the Serb province of Kosovo, but acknowledged there was "no such solution immediately in sight."

Soon afterwards Rice told Russian radio station Ekho Movsky the United States hoped to address Russian and Serbian concerns about Kosovo but added: "It's important now to recognize that Kosovo will never again be part of Serbia. It's not possible."

Russian President Vladimir Putin also net German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday, when he said that Russia and the EU wanted to resolve current problems, although their viewpoints on how to solve them are different

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said to RIA Novosti that "problems in Russia's relations with some EU countries should not affect interaction with the EU overall".

As for Kosovo, Putin told Steinmeiner that he stood for the resumption of the Kosovo dialogue in order to seek a solution acceptable to both Priština and Belgrade.

Putin’s envoy slams Ahtisaari plan

One day after Rice’s visit to Moscow, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Russian President’s representative for relations with the EU, told ITAR-tass agency that UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s Kosovo plan “did not meet interests of both sides in its present shape.”

“Russia is not going to participate in an experiment to divide a sovereign state against its will,” he said adding that Any formula for Kosovo settlement “must be fair for both sides.”

“There can be no successful decision if disrespects the interests of one side and satisfies those of the other,” Yastrzhembsky emphasized.

“Such decision plants a time bomb for new conflicts,” he stressed.

He also said that Ahtisaari’s plan in its present state did not give a formula that would be equally suitable or unsuitable,”

“The international community has means, and what is more important, time to continue searching for a more suitable comprome formula,” Yastrzhembsky said.

“West believes it can isolate Russia”

The West believes it can isolate Russia at the United Nations over its opposition to Kosovo independence but might struggle to meet a promise of a UN resolution by mid-year, Reuters reports.

"The U.S. policy is to get the approval of a very large majority in the (Security) Council; to isolate Russia on the issue," a senior European diplomat told Reuters.

"We are continuing very strong lobbying with South Africa, Indonesia and China. Those are the three countries which are not at all secure. We think the others will vote for 'for'."

A senior Western official said that Moscow now had to weigh its options.

“It could either play along constructively or, if it uses the veto, come out of this process as the spoiler which caused a mess on the ground in Kosovo and undermined the UN," he agued.

"Several members of the Council realized the (Western) plan is the only possible option," said the senior Western official, "which gave the Americans the confidence to move ahead."

But several diplomats and foreign analysts agreed the promise of a May resolution was overly optimistic. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to keep "important chips in his hand" for the G8, the European diplomat said.

"The Russians are signaling they're looking for a way out, but we're not in the endgame yet," Retuers quoted its EU source as saying.