By KUNA
United Nations : Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin on Friday said the outcome of the troika’s diplomatic efforts to broker a deal between Serbia and Kosovo on the latter’s final status were “quite encouraging” and urged the Security Council to allow for more talks because a “solution is possible.” “We believe that this outcome is quite encouraging. Unfortunately, the Pristina leadership was not showing flexibility in response to the far-reaching proposals of Belgrade. And one must point out that they (in Pristina, the capital) are distracted by continued promises of independence coming from some countries and politicians. This is regrettable,” Churkin told reporters.
Russia supports Serbia’s position to control Kosovo, but the US and EU support Kosovo’s independence.
Churkin said the troika – US, EU and Russia – submitted their report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and that the report will be submitted to the Security Council Sunday evening.
He said the troika negotiations, which lasted for 120 days or four months, were not a failure, as the press reported. One cannot claim that those efforts culminated in complete success either, he added, because “there was no definitive outcome which the troika was looking for.” “The talks revealed that a solution is possible. That it would be a solution which should answer all the reasonable practical requirements which would ensure respect for international law, regional and international stability and prosperity of Kosovo itself,” he said.
“We are particularly impressed by the kind of development the Serb position has taken during the course of the negotiations. Belgrade has been creative, courageous and far-reaching in formulating the future status of Kosovo,” he said.
Serbia’s principled position, he explained, is to preserve its sovereignty over Kosovo, control its foreign policy so that Kosovo cannot join the UN or other international political institutions.
He said there was an “enormous flexibility” on the Serbian side by indicating that Pristina will be allowed to have direct relationship with the international financial institutions, dispatch its own teams to international sports events and have its own flag, police and gendarmerie.
“It is quite important that representatives of Belgrade reiterated that they are not out to re-impose their control of Kosovo and that it is not their intention to bring Kosovo to the situation prior to 1999” when it was placed under UN control, he said.
He said Russia has circulated among council members earlier today a presidential statement calling for the continuation of the negotiations among the troika and the two parties Belgrade and Pristina.
Should Kosovars choose to go in the direction of unilateral proclamation of independence, he warned, “they are not getting those privileges anyway. The political reality is as such that unilateral proclamation of independence, even if they get recognition by some countries, contrary to international law, will not bring them to the UN (as a full member).” “Pragmatically speaking, one should have a very cool-headed evaluation of what is at stake and what price is required to pay for that,” he argued.
Any attempt at unilateral proclamation of independence, he warned again, would not be helpful and would hurt everybody including the Kosovars themselves, “the well being of Kosovars depend on their relationship with Serbia to a much larger extent than the rest of the world.” Diplomats speculate that the council won’t allow more time and that it would work for Kosovo’s independence seriously.
Kosovo has been administered by the UN since a 1999 NATO bombing campaign to halt ethnic cleansing by Serb forces of the 90 percent ethnic Albanian Muslim province, which Belgrade insists must remain under its sovereignty and is only willing to grant it wide autonomy.