Deadline for vote on new Kosovo resolution unclear

Deadline for vote on new Kosovo resolution unclear

“The issue remains open with respect to two points: when to schedule the vote and whether to give a new resolution precedence over the existing UN resolution 1244,” he argued.

“As to the first point, it would be ideal for Russia to schedule the vote for September or October,” he said.

Janjić also said that a compromise on the resolution is “close at hand,” and that it remained to be seen whether this could be done with or without Belgrade.

Janjić reminded that Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin would for the first time directly address the issue of Kosovo on July 1 in the Bush family residence in Kennebunkport, Maine. According to Janjić, major developments on the matter would not happen before that meeting.

Commenting Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica’s visit to St. Petersburg and his meeting with Putin, Janjić said that even though Koštunica said ahead of his trip he would present Putin with new ideas with respect to Kosovo, he fell short of mentioning what these ideas were after the meeting.

“Russia’s next moves will draw heavily on what Koštunica offered in Moscow yesterday. We should wait for Moscow to analyze Koštunica’s program, and if it proved it might lead to a compromise, Putin will likely give his support and inform the EU and the U.S. In that case there will be no vote on a new resolution,” Janjić argued.

“However, if the program turns out to be nothing else but a confirmation of old positions, the vote on the draft resolution, whose content will be previously agreed on with Russia, will likely follow in the fall,” he concluded.

Albanian leaders to continue with diplomatic offensive

Even though Kosovo Albanians see a one-sided proclamation of independence as their last resort, their political leaders are determined to wait at least until July when Bush and Putin are expected to meet in the U.S., Priština daily Koha Ditore writes.

Kosovo’s prime minister’s spokeswoman Ulpiana Lama told the newspaper that the only option Kosovo had following the G8 summit in Germany was to launch a decisive diplomatic offensive aimed at securing the adoption of a new resolution at the UN Security Council.

“We will not be passive in the period ahead of the Bush-Putin meeting, as we plan to continue with our intensive diplomatic initiative,” Lama said.

Kosovo president’s spokesman Dxavit Beqiri said that independence, as envisaged in Martti Ahtisaari’s plan, was the only option for Kosovo.

Nonetheless, political analyst Besnik Pula stressed that, in his opinion, the meeting of the two presidents would not be marked by a U-turn in their policy towards Kosovo.

According to him, the G8 summit clearly showed that “the U.S. was not interested in deteriorating relations with Russia particularly not when it came to Kosovo.”