EU hopes for unity on Kosovo status

EU foreign ministers say they will remain united on Kosovo if Serbs and ethnic Albanians fail to agree a compromise solution. At a meeting in Portugal, they said "differences remained, but a split would undermine EU credibility," the BBC reported Saturday. EU hopes for unity on Kosovo status Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, who chaired the meeting of the 27-member group, admitted he had no guarantee on how each member state would behave if the talks failed, but warned that lack of unity was a critical risk. Unity on Kosovo was "key to the credibility of Europe's foreign policy", he told reporters after the talks in Viana do Castelo, northern Portugal. "I cannot conceive that we could have at the end a situation where there is a strong position of Russia, a strong position of the United States, and where Europe simply does not exist," Amado said. The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said Kosovo was a European question and the EU was determined to remain united. Today the EU may appear more united, but serious splits remain between those who believe independence is the only option for Kosovo and those who argue it would only re-ignite ethnic conflicts in the Balkans, says the BBC. The EU mediator Wolfgang Ischinger said the plan by UN mediator Martti Ahtisaari to set Kosovo on the road to independence remained on the table. "The difficulties are big and the chances are slim - but they are there," he said. "In diplomacy there are many shades of grey between black and white, and we're looking for the right shade of grey." A number of EU countries have vowed to recognize an independent Kosovo should the talks fail, but several are reluctant to do so. Earlier today, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dmitrij Rupel said progress had been made in the talks between Belgrade and Pristina. EU foreign ministers continued their efforts in Portugal today to find common ground in solving the Kosovo problem, because one group of countries insists on a resolution within the UN Security Council, while the other thinks other options should be found, announced Rupel. In his opinion, a number of EU members continues to warn about the possible outcome if the Security Council fails to adopt a resolution on Kosovo’s status, and demands such a resolution. The other group thinks the solution should be found without such a document, he says. Asked to what extent the EU states would follow a U.S. decision of a unilateral recognition of Kosovo independence, bypassing the Security Council, the minister said he hoped that it would not depend on individual countries and that the EU would take a united stance. “The EU clearly states that Kosovo is politically and geographically a European problem. That’s why it will have to be left to the EU, because it’s our territory,” he warned. Rupel said that EU members were not thinking about a unilateral recognition of independence and stressed that the whole process could finish with amendments and changes to the Ahtisaari plan, even though the positions of the two sides were still far apart. Rupel, whose country takes over the EU presidency in January 2008, warned that the predominant opinion of EU foreign ministers was that “this situation, very precarious in Kosovo, and in Serbia too, it seems, cannot go on much longer.” Asked what would happen on December 10 if there was no agreement, he said that on the basis of today’s information “there are signs that the Serbian and Albanian positions are coming closer.” “It’s modest, but there has been progress,” said the minister. Before the meeting, the French, British, and Swedish foreign ministers, Bernard Kouchner, David Miliband, and Carl Bildt came out against a partition of Kosovo, saying it was a bad solution. “It’s completely the wrong idea and we aren’t even discussing it,” said Kouchner, stressing that all 27 EU nations would do everything they could to find a solution to this very difficult problem. “That’s why we don’t want to be divided and the main members’ aim is to remain united. That’s the absolute key, the essence and the real challenge to keeping our unity,” added the French minister. Russia’s representative in the mediating Troika, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko said today that talk of a unilateral declaration of independence was undermining the negotiating process. “The Troika received firm assurances in Vienna, promises, I might even say guarantees, from both Pristina and Belgrade, that there would be no comments or moves to hinder the process, that it would be a threat to regional stability and the search for a compromise." "Although we didn’t speak in more detail, I think such comments about a unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence fall into that category,” he said. "Pristina has continued making statements that are not in keeping with the search for a compromise, and Belgrade has been forced to retaliate, in a similarly sharp tone,” Kharchenko said, adding that the increased war of words between Belgrade and Pristina was hampering efforts to find a compromise, and was not helping create trust between the sides. French FM Bernard Kouchner and his British counterpart, David Miliband in Portugal (EPA/Tanjug)

EU hopes for unity on Kosovo status

Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, who chaired the meeting of the 27-member group, admitted he had no guarantee on how each member state would behave if the talks failed, but warned that lack of unity was a critical risk.

Unity on Kosovo was "key to the credibility of Europe's foreign policy", he told reporters after the talks in Viana do Castelo, northern Portugal.

"I cannot conceive that we could have at the end a situation where there is a strong position of Russia, a strong position of the United States, and where Europe simply does not exist," Amado said.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said Kosovo was a European question and the EU was determined to remain united.

Today the EU may appear more united, but serious splits remain between those who believe independence is the only option for Kosovo and those who argue it would only re-ignite ethnic conflicts in the Balkans, says the BBC.

The EU mediator Wolfgang Ischinger said the plan by UN mediator Martti Ahtisaari to set Kosovo on the road to independence remained on the table.

"The difficulties are big and the chances are slim - but they are there," he said.

"In diplomacy there are many shades of grey between black and white, and we're looking for the right shade of grey."

A number of EU countries have vowed to recognize an independent Kosovo should the talks fail, but several are reluctant to do so.

Earlier today, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dmitrij Rupel said progress had been made in the talks between Belgrade and Priština.

EU foreign ministers continued their efforts in Portugal today to find common ground in solving the Kosovo problem, because one group of countries insists on a resolution within the UN Security Council, while the other thinks other options should be found, announced Rupel.

In his opinion, a number of EU members continues to warn about the possible outcome if the Security Council fails to adopt a resolution on Kosovo’s status, and demands such a resolution.

The other group thinks the solution should be found without such a document, he says.

Asked to what extent the EU states would follow a U.S. decision of a unilateral recognition of Kosovo independence, bypassing the Security Council, the minister said he hoped that it would not depend on individual countries and that the EU would take a united stance.

“The EU clearly states that Kosovo is politically and geographically a European problem. That’s why it will have to be left to the EU, because it’s our territory,” he warned.

Rupel said that EU members were not thinking about a unilateral recognition of independence and stressed that the whole process could finish with amendments and changes to the Ahtisaari plan, even though the positions of the two sides were still far apart.

Rupel, whose country takes over the EU presidency in January 2008, warned that the predominant opinion of EU foreign ministers was that “this situation, very precarious in Kosovo, and in Serbia too, it seems, cannot go on much longer.”

Asked what would happen on December 10 if there was no agreement, he said that on the basis of today’s information “there are signs that the Serbian and Albanian positions are coming closer.”

“It’s modest, but there has been progress,” said the minister.

Before the meeting, the French, British, and Swedish foreign ministers, Bernard Kouchner, David Miliband, and Carl Bildt came out against a partition of Kosovo, saying it was a bad solution.

“It’s completely the wrong idea and we aren’t even discussing it,” said Kouchner, stressing that all 27 EU nations would do everything they could to find a solution to this very difficult problem.

“That’s why we don’t want to be divided and the main members’ aim is to remain united. That’s the absolute key, the essence and the real challenge to keeping our unity,” added the French minister.

Russia’s representative in the mediating Troika, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko said today that talk of a unilateral declaration of independence was undermining the negotiating process.

“The Troika received firm assurances in Vienna, promises, I might even say guarantees, from both Priština and Belgrade, that there would be no comments or moves to hinder the process, that it would be a threat to regional stability and the search for a compromise."

"Although we didn’t speak in more detail, I think such comments about a unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence fall into that category,” he said.

"Priština has continued making statements that are not in keeping with the search for a compromise, and Belgrade has been forced to retaliate, in a similarly sharp tone,” Kharchenko said, adding that the increased war of words between Belgrade and Priština was hampering efforts to find a compromise, and was not helping create trust between the sides.