Tuesday, 19 February 2008

Security Council divided over Kosovo

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people gathered on the streets of Kosovo's capital Pristina to celebrate their parliament’s unanimous decision to declare independence from Serbia. Serbia immediately called the move a violation of international law.

The UN Security Council, meeting Sunday in an emergency session and again formally on Monday, remained deadlocked on the issue. Russia insisted that existing Security Council resolutions mean Kosovo’s declaration is illegal. As a veto-wielding member of the Council, Moscow is able to block Kosovo’s entry into the UN. The US and the EU said that over two years of intensive diplomacy under Security Council auspices had failed to broker a negotiated outcome – the time had now come to move forward.

The UK, France, Germany and the US have announced their intention to recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Spain, however, was one of a number of EU countries who have said they will not extend diplomatic relations to Kosovo because of worries about their own secessionist movements. China was quick to criticise the declaration of independence.

Often called the last unfinished business in the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo has been administered by the UN since 1999 when a NATO bombing campaign drove out Slobodan Milosevic's Serb forces. Starting in late February, the current UN mission, UNMIK, is due to be phased out and replaced by a 2,000-strong EU force of police officers and justice officials. 16,000 NATO troops will remain to provide security.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all sides to keep their commitments and refrain from violence.

UN News h//www.un.org/news
UNMIK http://www.unmikonline.org/
The EU in Kosovo: http://www.eupt-kosovo.eu/new/index.php
Government of Serbia : http://www.srbija.sr.gov.yu/?change_lang=en
Government of Kosovo: http://www.ks-gov.net/