Talks on Kosovo status may start without UN resolution: Solana

Jul 17, 2007, 14:59 GMT

Brussels - Talks on Kosovo's future status could resume under the aegis of key international players and without agreement on a fiercely-disputed United Nations resolution, the European Union's chief diplomat Javier Solana said Tuesday.

Given Russia's threats to veto a UN resolution granting internationally-supervised independence for Kosovo, the six-member Contact Group composed of the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia will have to take the lead in seeking a compromise, Solana told reporters.

'I am sure there will be agreement within the Contact Group to open a process of negotiation,' said Solana, adding: 'We have to move on and open negotiations between the two sides ... without having a UN resolution and see at the end of the process how it evolves.'

The Contact Group would have to be involved in shuttle diplomacy between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians, with discussions focusing on elements included in the UN resolution, he added.

Efforts to find consensus would also continue in the UN and the talks between Belgrade and Pristina could not be open-ended, lasting 'more or less' 120 days, Solana added.

The EU foreign and security policy chief made his comments after talks with the UN's special envoy for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari in Brussels.

Kosovo has been under UN administration since 1999, when a NATO air campaign drove out Serb forces after accusing them of committing atrocities against ethnic Albanians.

In April this year, Ahtisaari proposed independence under the supervision of the EU after 13 months of Serb-Albanian talks ended in deadlock.

But Russia on Monday rejected the latest draft resolution aimed at settling Kosovo's political future, saying the text had no chance of being adopted by the Security Council.

The draft recognized demands by the Kosovo parliament, which on April 5 backed the UN blueprint granting independence to the breakaway Serb province.

However, the draft failed to reflect Belgrade's opposition to independence for the territory. Serbia says such a move would be a breach of its sovereignty and Russia also argues that independence for Kosovo would create a precedent for other disputed territories.

Instead, Moscow says other options remained open to settle the dispute. Belgrade has said it would give special autonomy to Kosovo, but rejects full independence.

However, leaders of the 90 per cent Albanian majority have threatened to declare independence unilaterally, a move that the EU has warned against.