Russia, Serbia Oppose UN Chief's Plan to Diminish UN's Kosovo Presence | Voice of America - English
Divisions within the U.N. Security Council on the subject of Kosovo were apparent yet again on Friday, when the secretary-general spoke about his plan to transfer some responsibilities from the U.N. mission in Pristina to the European Union. Serbia, and its powerful ally Russia, have rejected the U.N. chief's plan, but the United States, Britain and France support it.
Secretary-General BanKi-moon told the Security Council that following Kosovo's declarationof independence from Serbia in February and the entry into force lastSunday of its constitution, the U.N. mission's ability to operate therehas come into serious question. The mission is known by its acronymUNMIK. "I intend to adjust operational aspects of theinternational civilian presence in Kosovo and to reconfigure theprofile and structure of UNMIK," he said. His plan includesallowing the European Union to gradually assume increasing operationalresponsibilities in the areas of international policing, justice andcustoms throughout Kosovo. Saying there is no ideal solution,Mr. Ban defended his proposal as the "least objectionable" and one thatwas arrived at after lengthy consultations with the parties and otherstakeholders. Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since1999, when NATO air strikes halted a Serbian crackdown on ethnicAlbanians in what had long been a province of Serbia. Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu welcomed the secretary-general's initiative. "Iwould like to assure the secretary-general that he will have theon-going support and cooperation of Kosovo as he moves forward withthis initiative," he said. Not surprisingly, Serbian PresidentBoris Tadic said Belgrade cannot endorse the secretary-general'sproposal, nor will it ever recognize Kosovo's independence. "Only the Security Council can bringa decision to reconfigure the situation," he said. "The SecurityCouncil is the only institution endowed with the power to [enact]legitimate changes in the composition of the international presence inKosovo." Russia, Serbia's ally and a veto-wielding SecurityCouncil member, picked apart the secretary-general's proposalparagraph-by-paragraph. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin insisted if thesecretary-general does not get approval for his plan in the council, itwould be a violation of both the U.N. resolution that established UNMIKand of the U.N. Charter. "We made it absolutely clear thatthis kind of reconfiguration cannot take place without the decision ofthe Security Council," he said. "It is also the position of Belgrade,but it is certainly our position. We think that should there beattempts to do this reconfiguration outside the Security Council,without the express consent of the Security Council, that would runcontrary to [U.N. resolution] 1244 and to the U.N. Charter for thatmatter." But U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the secretary-general does have the authority to act. "TheUnited States believes the secretary-general has the discretion toreconfigure UNMIK and we support the initiative he has taken to do so,"he said. "The United States has some concerns about this initiative,but on balance, this initiative may prove to be the most practical wayforward." Secretary-General Ban made clear the complexity andstrong emotions tied to the Kosovo issue, when he told the 15-membercouncil that in almost 40 years of diplomatic life he has neverencountered an issue as divisive, as delicate and as intractable.