Ahtisaari: Kosovo resolution in June

Ahtisaari: Kosovo resolution in June

“Kosovo can no longer stay within Serbia’s borders. Ethnic Albanians, which make up 90 percent of the population, simply don’t want the province to remain in Serbia,” Ahtisaari said in an interview with Ljubljana weekly Delo.

He rebuffed allegations that the status-defining resolution would set a dangerous precedent for similar cases elsewhere in the world.

“Kosovo is a unique case and should be regarded as such, particularly given its history, repression under Slobodan Milošević’s rule, international intervention in 1999 and the administration established at the time that has remained ever since,” he underscored.

However, Ahtisaari opted not to speculate as to whether the UN Security Council would adopt a new resolution on Kosovo.

In his opinion, it is likely to happen in June when the United States is due to take over the presidency of the UN SC.

Commenting on Russia’s role in Kosovo’s status settlement, the UN envoy said that Russia was “a constructive member of the Contact Group.”

“Moscow agrees that any solution on Kosovo requires majority support in the Council,” he argued, expressing doubts that Russia would indeed use its veto.

He reiterated that the UN Security Council had five permanent member states with the right of veto, which is seldom exercised.

Serbia launches diplomatic offensive

The Serb caucus in U.S. Congress dispatched a letter to the State Secretary suggesting a revision of U.S. Kosovo policy.

Advisor to the Serbian President Vuk Jeremić said that the open letter to U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice sent by Serb caucus co-chairpersons Dan Burton and Melissa Bean was part of previously announced diplomatic activities in Washington.

“In the interest of settling this matter in a way that is inclusive of all parties, we believe the United States should lead by example and re-examine its policy regarding Kosovo with the goal of finding a better way forward,” the letter reads

“We have established close co-operation with the Serb caucus members in the U.S. Congress, assisting them in shaping of their arguments regarding Serb interests in Kosovo,” Jeremić said.

“We may expect intense diplomatic activities in the U.S. Congress in the weeks and months to come. We advocate for the essential independence for Kosovo within Serbian state borders, stressing our willingness to consider any solution that doesn’t contain a violation of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and that seeks out a compromise suitable to both sides,” the Serbian presidential foreign-policy advisor said.