Negotiations over the final status of the UN-administered Serbian province of Kosovo should begin and independence should be on the agenda. That is reportedly what UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will recommend in proposals to the UN Security Council on October 24, according to press reports.
Kosovo has been governed by UN mandate for the past six years in the wake on international intervention to end Serbian aggression.
With talks on Kosovo scheduled to begin in December, all sides are hedging their bets - Belgrade to maintain its sovereignty over the province, and Pristina to win nothing short of full independence.
If the Security Council agrees with his proposal, Annan is to name a personal representative to head the negotiations. There is speculation that former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari is to be nominated.
The UN envoy is expected to have three deputies: one from the US, one from the EU, and one from Russia.
If the Security Council decides on the negotiations, and if Annan chooses Ahtisaari, and if Ahtisaari agrees, the former Finnish President will face one of the biggest challenges of his career in crisis resolution. The situation in Kosovo remains very tense.
The difficulty was underscored by a report drafted by Norwegian Ambassador Kai Eide at Annan’s request.
“The end result must be stable and sustainable. Artificial deadlines should not be set. Once the process has started, it cannot be blocked and must be brought to a conclusion,” it says.
Annan says that the talks should lead to either independence for Kosovo, or a far-reaching autonomy for the province, as a part of Serbia. About 90% of Kosovo’s population are ethnic Albanians who want independence.
However, even more important for them is an end to the years of no progress, and the launch of the status talks. Kai Eide came to the same conclusion, noting that the process should move forward, even though the establishment of democratic structures for Kosovo remains incomplete.
The UN’s basic principle in Kosovo has constantly been “standards before status”. In practice this means that certain minimum standards for administration, finances, and relations between ethnic groups had to be established before discussions on Kosovo’s final status with respect to Serbia-Montenegro could begin.
Certain administrative and legal institutions have been set up in the area, which now produce public services.
However, politicians in Kosovo feel that they primarily answer to their own parties, rather than to the people as a whole. The economic situation, meanwhile, is poor, and unemployment is extensive. The police and the court system need improvement, the protection of property is poor, and relations between ethnic groups are strained.
The Eide report warned that while the UN had done “a credible and impressive job” in fulfilling its mandate in Kosovo, “its leverage (there) is diminishing”.
It underscored the need for the European Union, Nato and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to play a key role in the status process.
“A future status process should be accompanied by a clear expression by the international community that it is determined to stay and support this process as well as its outcome,” it says.
Annan is being backed by the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, who was recently in Belgrade to open negotiations on a stability and association agreement between the EU and Serbia-Montenegro.
In an interview with AFP, he said that the negotiations on the status of Kosovo must take place and that they must not be allowed to hurt talks between the EU and Serbia.
While the province enjoyed relative autonomy under the Yugoslav Communist government in the 1970s, the 1980s were characterized by rising ethnic tensions, with both Serbs and Albanians complaining of discrimination.
In August 1987, as the Communist regime was on its last legs, rising Serbian politician Slobodan Milosevic visited the province, setting the stage for what was to become a bloody conflict. In 1989, Milosevic stripped Kosovo of its autonomy. Mass unrest and the slaughter and forced removal of Kosovo Albanians ensued during the war of 1998-1999.
Since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999, after NATO’s military action against the Serbs, the province has been under the jurisdiction of the UN, although sovereignty has technically remained with Serbia.
Kosovo has been governed by UN mandate for the past six years in the wake on international intervention to end Serbian aggression.
With talks on Kosovo scheduled to begin in December, all sides are hedging their bets - Belgrade to maintain its sovereignty over the province, and Pristina to win nothing short of full independence.
If the Security Council agrees with his proposal, Annan is to name a personal representative to head the negotiations. There is speculation that former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari is to be nominated.
The UN envoy is expected to have three deputies: one from the US, one from the EU, and one from Russia.
If the Security Council decides on the negotiations, and if Annan chooses Ahtisaari, and if Ahtisaari agrees, the former Finnish President will face one of the biggest challenges of his career in crisis resolution. The situation in Kosovo remains very tense.
The difficulty was underscored by a report drafted by Norwegian Ambassador Kai Eide at Annan’s request.
“The end result must be stable and sustainable. Artificial deadlines should not be set. Once the process has started, it cannot be blocked and must be brought to a conclusion,” it says.
Annan says that the talks should lead to either independence for Kosovo, or a far-reaching autonomy for the province, as a part of Serbia. About 90% of Kosovo’s population are ethnic Albanians who want independence.
However, even more important for them is an end to the years of no progress, and the launch of the status talks. Kai Eide came to the same conclusion, noting that the process should move forward, even though the establishment of democratic structures for Kosovo remains incomplete.
The UN’s basic principle in Kosovo has constantly been “standards before status”. In practice this means that certain minimum standards for administration, finances, and relations between ethnic groups had to be established before discussions on Kosovo’s final status with respect to Serbia-Montenegro could begin.
Certain administrative and legal institutions have been set up in the area, which now produce public services.
However, politicians in Kosovo feel that they primarily answer to their own parties, rather than to the people as a whole. The economic situation, meanwhile, is poor, and unemployment is extensive. The police and the court system need improvement, the protection of property is poor, and relations between ethnic groups are strained.
The Eide report warned that while the UN had done “a credible and impressive job” in fulfilling its mandate in Kosovo, “its leverage (there) is diminishing”.
It underscored the need for the European Union, Nato and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to play a key role in the status process.
“A future status process should be accompanied by a clear expression by the international community that it is determined to stay and support this process as well as its outcome,” it says.
Annan is being backed by the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, who was recently in Belgrade to open negotiations on a stability and association agreement between the EU and Serbia-Montenegro.
In an interview with AFP, he said that the negotiations on the status of Kosovo must take place and that they must not be allowed to hurt talks between the EU and Serbia.
While the province enjoyed relative autonomy under the Yugoslav Communist government in the 1970s, the 1980s were characterized by rising ethnic tensions, with both Serbs and Albanians complaining of discrimination.
In August 1987, as the Communist regime was on its last legs, rising Serbian politician Slobodan Milosevic visited the province, setting the stage for what was to become a bloody conflict. In 1989, Milosevic stripped Kosovo of its autonomy. Mass unrest and the slaughter and forced removal of Kosovo Albanians ensued during the war of 1998-1999.
Since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999, after NATO’s military action against the Serbs, the province has been under the jurisdiction of the UN, although sovereignty has technically remained with Serbia.
