Troika mandate ends, new phase starts after Dec. 10

EU sources say a new phase in finding a Kosovo solution will start after the Troika mandate expires. Beta news agency reported this Friday, quoting its sources in Brussels, that the EU believes the next stage in the process of determining Kosovo's future status will include sending an EU mission to the province. Troika mandate ends, new phase starts after Dec. 10 Before this happens, a new round of direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina, scheduled for Monday in Vienna, and then for Nov. 20 in Brussels, will be met with "the greatest degree of attention and quite moderate hopes." The sources added that any status proposal must be agreed on by the negotiating sides, since the Contact Group Troika of international mediators has no mandate to come up with plans of its own. This is also the context, the agency said, in which to view EU envoy Wolfgang Ischinger's idea to model a future Kosovo agreement on that between the two Germanys, signed in 1972. But other possibilities are also reportedly considered in Brussels, including the case of Taiwan and other such solutions worldwide, also bearing in mind the 14 points the Troika introduced to both sides. If new rounds of talks in Vienna and Brussels "produce a sufficient amount of solutions that could lead to a compromise" the Troika would opt for organizing "a final meeting that would last several days." Then, the EU sources said, the mediators would invest "extreme efforts" to come up with a report, due to be submitted to the UN secretary general on December 10, that would provide "at least an outline of a possible solution." Beta also quotes officials with the EU Council of Ministers who said Russian President Vladimir Putin was recently told in Portugal about the EU's "firm position" that the Troika-led talks will end on December 10. The EU also told Putin that its mission to Kosovo will be sent to the province "as soon as possible", since UNMIK is expected to withdraw. The EU mission could deploy in 90 days. Brussels believes that the UN secretary-general's announcement that UNMIK's mandate has expired, and an invitation to the EU mission to take its place, would provide legitimacy for that move. Such a mission would be legally founded on some elements of UN Resolution 1244, the EU sources believe. Meanwhile in Pristina, Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku told UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "should expect Kosovo to declare independence after talks end on December 10," Reuters reported. "He [Ban] should know that the citizens of Kosovo, and Kosovo's leaders, cannot wait much longer after December 10," he told a joint news conference with Ruecker Friday. "He should expect us to declare independence after this date," Ceku said. Ruecker said he took note "there should be no further delays."

Troika mandate ends, new phase starts after Dec. 10

Before this happens, a new round of direct talks between Belgrade and Priština, scheduled for Monday in Vienna, and then for Nov. 20 in Brussels, will be met with "the greatest degree of attention and quite moderate hopes."

The sources added that any status proposal must be agreed on by the negotiating sides, since the Contact Group Troika of international mediators has no mandate to come up with plans of its own.

This is also the context, the agency said, in which to view EU envoy Wolfgang Ischinger's idea to model a future Kosovo agreement on that between the two Germanys, signed in 1972.

But other possibilities are also reportedly considered in Brussels, including the case of Taiwan and other such solutions worldwide, also bearing in mind the 14 points the Troika introduced to both sides.

If new rounds of talks in Vienna and Brussels "produce a sufficient amount of solutions that could lead to a compromise" the Troika would opt for organizing "a final meeting that would last several days."

Then, the EU sources said, the mediators would invest "extreme efforts" to come up with a report, due to be submitted to the UN secretary general on December 10, that would provide "at least an outline of a possible solution."

Beta also quotes officials with the EU Council of Ministers who said Russian President Vladimir Putin was recently told in Portugal about the EU's "firm position" that the Troika-led talks will end on December 10.

The EU also told Putin that its mission to Kosovo will be sent to the province "as soon as possible", since UNMIK is expected to withdraw. The EU mission could deploy in 90 days.

Brussels believes that the UN secretary-general's announcement that UNMIK's mandate has expired, and an invitation to the EU mission to take its place, would provide legitimacy for that move.

Such a mission would be legally founded on some elements of UN Resolution 1244, the EU sources believe.

Meanwhile in Priština, Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku told UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "should expect Kosovo to declare independence after talks end on December 10," Reuters reported.

"He [Ban] should know that the citizens of Kosovo, and Kosovo's leaders, cannot wait much longer after December 10," he told a joint news conference with Ruecker Friday.

"He should expect us to declare independence after this date," Ceku said.

Ruecker said he took note "there should be no further delays."