EuroLinks Daily View: No EU Split Over Kosovo?
European diplomats say they are confident the European Union will avoid a humiliating split over the future of Kosovo.</br></br>The Serbian province, under United Nations control since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization intervened in 1999 to end Serbia's ethnic cleansing of the Albanian majority, wants independence. The U.S. and many European nations endorse that bid. Russia and a handful of EU countries oppose it.</br></br>Since July, negotiators have been working to break that impasse in talks between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians set to end Dec. 10. The sides meet here again today, but diplomats said there is no sign of an agreement. The talks have, however, produced one benefit: Intense lobbying within the EU appears to have persuaded the handful of countries opposed to recognizing Kosovo not to block the 27-nation EU's ability to conduct a joint policy toward Kosovo over the recognition issue.</br></br>A split over Kosovo would risk repeating earlier divisions over the Bosnian War in 1992 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 that left the EU unable to conduct an effective common foreign policy, diplomats said. It could also reward Moscow with an effective veto over EU policy in the Balkans, something few EU members want.</br></br>Read Marc Champion's report: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119551393100498476.html