NATO expresses support for Ahtisaari plan

NATO expresses support for Ahtisaari plan

NATO foreign ministers, who were meeting in Brussels, showed "a very strong sense of unity" in support of the proposal by U.N. envoy Matti Ahtisaari, spokesman James Appathurai said.

Ahtisaari, who mediated a year of talks between Serbs and Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, delivered his proposal Friday in Vienna, Austria, to members of the Contact Group — the United States, Russia and key European nations. Details of the document were not made public.

"The ministers did not discuss specifics of Ahtisaari's proposal, just expressed unanimous support for the what is in the report," Appathurai said. "They're of course aware of what's in the report, but there was no discussion of specifics."

Ahtisaari is widely expected to propose some form of provisional independence for the province of 2 million people which has administered by the United Nations since 1999. NATO, which occupied Kosovo in 1999 after a brief war against Serbia, has 16,000 troops in the province to provide security.

Belgrade insists that Kosovo must remain administratively linked to Serbia, but ethnic Albanians — who account for 90 percent of the province's people — are pushing for outright independence. A small but vocal Serbian minority in the province is also opposed to independence.

The United States and some EU nations have tacitly backed the independence option, despite warnings that it could intensify separatist demands in other independence-minded regions around the world.

"There was a strong sense around the table that there is a need for a resolution as quickly as possible, and that long delays risk ... fostering instability," Appathurai said.

The international community fears that a settlement proposal could spark a repeat of the violence that shook the region two years ago, when 22 people perished in fighting between the rival communities.

"I can't predict any scenario, but (the NATO force) is prepared for any eventuality ... to protect both minorities and majorities," NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told journalists.

Several participants in the ministerial meeting urged the Serbs and Kosovo Albanians to discuss Ahtisaari's recommendations before the issue is finally tabled to the United Nations.

Russia, which has veto power in the Security Council, has indicated it would block any deal that would not be acceptable to Serbia.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy called on the Serbs and Albanians to agree on how to proceed.

"It's necessary to support Mr. Ahtisaari. It's also important to talk to Serbia," he said.

"Whatever the future status of Kosovo, it will be necessary to maintain the military and civil international presence."

The European Union is expected to assume oversight over Kosovo from the United Nations, with a civilian mission of about 100 members. The top EU envoy would have the power to veto Kosovo government decisions and legislation.

NATO would continue to provide security in the province, although force levels are expected to decline in the future.