Ischinger insists, Belgrade rejects, Troika divided?

The international community's latest Kosovo status solution idea continues to cause different reactions. The Contact Group Troika EU mediator, German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, has repeortedly not given up on his proposal to regulate relations between Serbia proper and Kosovo using the 1972 model of the two Germanys. Ischinger insists, Belgrade rejects, Troika divided? This news came Wednesday despite yesterday's announcements from Belgrade that it will reject the proposal if it appears on the table at the next round of talks, scheduled for November 5, Tanjug news agency learned from its diplomatic sources. By then, it will become clear whether Ischinger will manage to secure backing of the other two members of the Troika, U.S. representative Frank Wisner and Russia's Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko. According to the agency's sources, however, the proposal, "which corresponds to Pristina's proposal on good-neighborly relations between Kosovo and Serbia as two independent states," was "not received well" within the mediating Troika. The sources also confirmed that the Troika met in Vienna last Monday, despite contradictory reports. Tanjug says that "at least two sources confirmed that the meeting did take place and that the Troika members were divided over Ischinger's proposal." According to diplomats and analysts, the problem with Ischinger's historic example is that it is based on an unsuitable parallel. The present situation in Serbia and Kosovo can hardly be compared with the divided Germany of 1972, Alexander Rahr of the Berlin-based German Council on Foreign Relations evaluated on Wednesday. Rahr told the BBC that Ischinger offered the German model for the future relations of Serbia and Kosovo because he is "desperately looking for a solution." Ischinger understands that Kosovo's proclamation of independence would likely have consequences on the stability of Europe as a whole, and that "very ugly things might follow," said Rahr. "That is why he is considering all options, and one of them is let's divide Serbia into two parts, of which one should be nearly fully independent from the other," he added. Rahr believes Ischinger is trying to compare Kosovo with former East Germany, although the agreement between the two German states was signed "under completely different circumstances and in a different era." "There were great powers on both sides - one of them backed one part of Germany and the other backed the other part." "That no longer exists because the Cold War is over," said Rahr, adding that the dispute between Belgrade and Pristina is not a big conflict between Russia and the West. He warned of new problems emerging if independence of Kosovo is proclaimed and recognized by the West. "Northern Cyprus could also request independence, although that would not be disastrous," said Rahr, adding that first problems would emerge if separatist-oriented autonomous provinces in the territory of the former USSR, likely to try and copy Kosovo. He referred to Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, Pridnyestrovye in Moldova and Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan.

Ischinger insists, Belgrade rejects, Troika divided?

This news came Wednesday despite yesterday's announcements from Belgrade that it will reject the proposal if it appears on the table at the next round of talks, scheduled for November 5, Tanjug news agency learned from its diplomatic sources.

By then, it will become clear whether Ischinger will manage to secure backing of the other two members of the Troika, U.S. representative Frank Wisner and Russia's Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko.

According to the agency's sources, however, the proposal, "which corresponds to Priština's proposal on good-neighborly relations between Kosovo and Serbia as two independent states," was "not received well" within the mediating Troika.

The sources also confirmed that the Troika met in Vienna last Monday, despite contradictory reports.

Tanjug says that "at least two sources confirmed that the meeting did take place and that the Troika members were divided over Ischinger's proposal."

According to diplomats and analysts, the problem with Ischinger's historic example is that it is based on an unsuitable parallel.

The present situation in Serbia and Kosovo can hardly be compared with the divided Germany of 1972, Alexander Rahr of the Berlin-based German Council on Foreign Relations evaluated on Wednesday.

Rahr told the BBC that Ischinger offered the German model for the future relations of Serbia and Kosovo because he is "desperately looking for a solution."

Ischinger understands that Kosovo's proclamation of independence would likely have consequences on the stability of Europe as a whole, and that "very ugly things might follow," said Rahr.

"That is why he is considering all options, and one of them is let's divide Serbia into two parts, of which one should be nearly fully independent from the other," he added.

Rahr believes Ischinger is trying to compare Kosovo with former East Germany, although the agreement between the two German states was signed "under completely different circumstances and in a different era."

"There were great powers on both sides - one of them backed one part of Germany and the other backed the other part."

"That no longer exists because the Cold War is over," said Rahr, adding that the dispute between Belgrade and Priština is not a big conflict between Russia and the West.

He warned of new problems emerging if independence of Kosovo is proclaimed and recognized by the West.

"Northern Cyprus could also request independence, although that would not be disastrous," said Rahr, adding that first problems would emerge if separatist-oriented autonomous provinces in the territory of the former USSR, likely to try and copy Kosovo.

He referred to Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, Pridnyestrovye in Moldova and Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan.