Russia opposes UN plan as NATO vows to secure Kosovo (Roundup)

Feb 15, 2007, 15:23 GMT

Moscow/Pristina - Russia is against the 'supervised independence' plan proposed by United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari for the breakaway Serbian republic of Kosovo, the senior Balkan official at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Bozan-Charchenko, said Thursday.

The plan was not suitable as a basis for the future of the now almost entirely ethnic Albanian province, Bozan-Charchenko said in Moscow, according to Interfax news agency.

'We have great doubts that this plan can be a good foundation for the negotiation process if it contains elements that lead to the sovereignty and independence of Kosovo,' Bozan-Charchenko said.

However, he added that his country did not intend to use its veto power at the UN Security Council to block a solution.

The problem remained obtaining Serbian's approval for the UN plan: the Serbian parliament overwhelmingly rejected it in a vote Wednesday evening.

Speakers in parliament had stressed Russia's traditional role as Serbia's protector.

The Russian official's comments came as NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in the Kosovan capital Pristina earlier Thursday that KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, would not tolerate any form of violence in the province.

'If anyone thinks that by inciting violence they may achieve their goal, they're wrong and KFOR will prove them wrong,' Scheffer said in Kosovo's capital Pristina.

That applied equally to the Albanians, who wanted immediate independence, as to the Serbian minority, who wanted to split off the areas of the province in which they had a majority.

He met with UN administrator in Kosovo Joachim Ruecker to discuss security issues in light of last Saturday's violent pro-independence protests which ended in two deaths and numerous injuries.

Two men died from head wounds inflicted by rubber bullets fired by police, while some 80 people, including nine officers, were injured in the protests.

Ruecker reacted to claims of 'excessive force' used by police in containing Saturday's fevered demonstrations by asking international police commissioner Stephen Curtis to resign on Wednesday, replacing him with Uwe Marquardt of Germany.

Kosovo Interior Minister Fatmir Rexhepi also resigned on Monday.

Serbian President Boris Tadic phoned Scheffer earlier this week to request additional protection and safety measures for the minority Serbian community in Kosovo.

Saturday's protest was called by the Vetevendosje (Self- determination) movement, which strongly opposes additional discussions of Kosovo's status between Belgrade and Pristina and demands immediate independence for the province of 2 million, which is mainly populated by Albanians.

Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti was arrested after the protests and given 30 days detention.

Belgrade and Pristina are due to hold three more rounds of talks in Vienna in late February and March, before Ahtisaari's plan reaches the UN Security Council.