Kosovo tells UN it wants equal status with Serbia (Roundup)

By JT Nguyen Jul 25, 2008, 17:39 GMT

New York - Kosovo's newly appointed Foreign Minister Skender Hyseni told the United Nations on Friday Belgrade and Pristina should engage in discussions as 'two independent and sovereign states,' marking another step forward for Kosovo's independence.

Hyseni was attending a UN Security Council meeting in New York for the first time as foreign minister of the Republic of Kosovo. Seated across him at the horse-shoe-shaped council table was Serb Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic.

Hyseni claimed that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has 'likewise proposed that each country discuss with the UN a number of practical arrangements.'

Ban had stressed UN neutrality on the issue since Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence in February.

'We, of course, took seriously the secretary general's commitment to consult closely with us, as no arrangements can be viable without full participation and approval of the government of the Republic of Kosovo,' Hyseni said.

Hyseni appealed for international assistance, describing Kosovo as the world's 'youngest state ... in desperate need of investment from abroad and economic development.'

He said Kosovo is now recognized by 43 countries and is opening embassies in several of them. The United States and many European governments have recognized Kosovo's independence.

While Hyseni said no decisions can be made in Kosovo without the approval of his government, the chief of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) told the 15-nation council that his power to administer the former Serb province has practically disappeared after the government in Pristina instituted its constitution last month.

Lamberto Zannier, who has headed UNMIK since June 20, told the council that the ethnic Albanian-led Kosovo government has sought to assume the powers and responsibilities of a 'sovereign state' since the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo entered into force on June 15.

The minority Serbs in northern Kosovo have, on the other hand, held elections in their municipalities to form local governments with the support of Serbia. Zannier has declared those election results invalid.

'As a consequences of this stark divergence of paths taken by Kosovo's Serb and Albanian communities, the space in which UNMIK can operate has changed,' said Zannier.

Zannier said the Kosovo parliament has issued new legislation and the government in Pristina has taken decisions without seeking his approval.

UNMIK was created in 1999 to administer Kosovo until its final political status was decided by the UN Security Council.

The UN is not in the position to recognize Kosovo as a country. Kosovo, like newly formed states in the past, has sought recognition from other states and may one day seek UN membership. But it will certainly face a veto from Russia in the UN Security Council.

Serbia and Russia continue to strongly reject Kosovo's independence and Belgrade still considers the territory its province.

Zannier said ties between UNMIK and Pristina had changed drastically and UN work in Kosovo has been reduced because UNMIK is no longer the broker in solving problems and proclaiming legislation in Kosovo.

'While I and my staff continue to monitor the work of the Kosovo authorities and to mediate and facilitate in disputes between communities, my power to impose solutions through much of the territory has in practice disappeared,' Zannier said in the speech to the 15-nation council.

UNMIK is operating under a resolution from 1999, which gave it vast authority to govern Kosovo after Serb security forces, accused of atrocities against ethnic Albanians, were pushed out of the province by NATO.

Ban has called for restructuring UNMIK based on the new situation in Kosovo. But Russia wanted UNMIK to remain in place because the resolution has not been repelled.

Jeremic, the Serb minister, said talks of restructuring of UNMIK were an 'inglorious episode.' But he said it cannot be done without Serb cooperation and approval by the Security Council.

'The voice of Serbia - on reconfiguration and much else besides - can no longer be avoided or disregarded,' Jeremic said, adding that Serbia will work with the UN to ensure that the new, restructured UNMIK will not infringe upon Serbia's sovereignty and integrity.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad acknowledged that the council is deadlocked on Kosovo because of strong opposition by Russia. He said the impasse has prevented the council from providing Ban with guidance to restructure UNMIK.

But Khalilzad said Kosovo is headed to 'a time of great promise' after a donor conference in Brussels on July 11 generated pledges totalling 1.9 billion dollars in economic development.