Russia: UNMIK mandate revision "illegal"

Russia considers attempts at transforming the mandate of the international presence in Kosovo without the UN Security Council approval illegal. In addition to this, Moscow will consider any changes valid if they are accepted by Belgrade and the Serb community in Kosovo, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday. Russia: UNMIK mandate revision "illegal" "Proposals put forth by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon considerably revise the UN Mission in Kosovo mandate," the ministry said. Commenting on the UN Security Council session of June 20 devoted to Kosovo, the ministry said, "they go beyond the UN secretary-general framework on ensuring the international civilian presence in Kosovo" as defined by the UN SC in 1999. "Any 'independent' actions would run counter the UN Security Council mentioned resolution and cause damage to the authority of the Security Council and the UN itself," the ministry said. "We believe that the UN Security Council session only helped work out possible resolutions on the future of the UN Mission in Kosovo. To this end, we call on the UN secretary-general to continue consultations with all sides involved in this process, primarily with Belgrade, as well as members of the Security Council on future parameters of the UN presence in Kosovo." Several UN SC member-states, which upheld the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence and recognized this illegal creation suggested that the UN secretary general be given carte blanche in defining the future parameters of the UN presence in Kosovo bearing in mind the "new reality" in the province, but views began to differ during the debate, the release says. Russia's permanent representative at the UN Vitaly Churkin said during the UN SC debate that in the situation in which the Resolution 1244 remains fully valid, UNMIK should continue to exercise its mandate in keeping with that document. In Belgrade, Serbian Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic said Saturday that the UN Security Council debate on UNMIK reconfiguration demonstrated that there was no decision on a new status of the UN mission in Kosovo, and that the report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "remained only a proposal". Ban's plan did not result in any UN SC decision, and can be considered only a proposal, Samardzic said in a statement sent to Tanjug, adding that nobody in the international community should think that UNMIK can be replaced "by some other mission, especially the European Union's EULEX". Russia's permanent representative ar the UN Vitaly Churkin made this clear at the UN SC session Friday, and it is precisely thanks to Russia's firm and principled reaction to Ban's report that no decision was taken and that the UN presence and ways of resolving the Kosovo issue must be discussed further, Samardzic said. He underlined that the UN SC did not take any valid decision and that the new UN secretary general's special representative Lamberto Zannier cannot therefore act on the basis of Ban's report. "Zannier must abide by the UN SC Resolution 1244 and act as UNMIK chief, he cannot cooperate with EULEX which has no legal foundation in Kosovo. This means that his statement that he will act in line with Ban's instructions was a wrong move repeating the mistakes made by his predecessors, particularly Joachim Ruecker," Samardzic said. The minister in the caretaker government expressed hope that Zannier "will not repeat such mistakes and that he will cooperate with Belgrade in implementing the Resolution 1244".

Russia: UNMIK mandate revision "illegal"

"Proposals put forth by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon considerably revise the UN Mission in Kosovo mandate," the ministry said.

Commenting on the UN Security Council session of June 20 devoted to Kosovo, the ministry said, "they go beyond the UN secretary-general framework on ensuring the international

civilian presence in Kosovo" as defined by the UN SC in 1999.

"Any 'independent' actions would run counter the UN Security Council mentioned resolution and cause damage to the authority of the Security Council and the UN itself," the ministry said.

"We believe that the UN Security Council session only helped work out possible resolutions on the future of the UN Mission in Kosovo. To this end, we call on the UN secretary-general to continue consultations with all sides involved in this process, primarily with Belgrade, as

well as members of the Security Council on future parameters of the UN presence in Kosovo."

Several UN SC member-states, which upheld the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence and recognized this illegal creation suggested that the UN secretary general be given carte blanche in defining the future parameters of the UN presence in Kosovo bearing in mind the "new reality" in the province, but views began to differ during the debate, the release says.

Russia's permanent representative at the UN Vitaly Churkin said during the UN SC debate that in the situation in which the Resolution 1244 remains fully valid, UNMIK should continue to exercise its mandate in keeping with that document.

In Belgrade, Serbian Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić said Saturday that the UN Security Council debate on UNMIK reconfiguration demonstrated that there was no decision on a new status of the UN mission in Kosovo, and that the report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "remained only a proposal".

Ban's plan did not result in any UN SC decision, and can be considered only a proposal, Samardžić said in a statement sent to Tanjug, adding that nobody in the international community should think that UNMIK can be replaced "by some other mission, especially the European Union's EULEX".

Russia's permanent representative ar the UN Vitaly Churkin made this clear at the UN SC session Friday, and it is precisely thanks to Russia's firm and principled reaction to Ban's report that no decision was taken and that the UN presence and ways of resolving the Kosovo issue must be discussed further, Samardžić said.

He underlined that the UN SC did not take any valid decision and that the new UN secretary general's special representative Lamberto Zannier cannot therefore act on the basis of Ban's report.

"Zannier must abide by the UN SC Resolution 1244 and act as UNMIK chief, he cannot cooperate with EULEX which has no legal foundation in Kosovo. This means that his statement that he will act in line with Ban's instructions was a wrong move repeating the mistakes made by his predecessors, particularly Joachim Ruecker," Samardžić said.

The minister in the caretaker government expressed hope that Zannier "will not repeat such mistakes and that he will cooperate with Belgrade in implementing the Resolution 1244".