The Serbian province of Kosovo has declared its independence. On Russia’s initiative, and at the request of Serbia, an emergency session of the UN Security Council will be held in New York today. Moscow intends to prevent recognition of the province’s sovereignty
The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a formal statement at lightning speed, just a quarter of an hour after Pristina’s announcement of independence: “We expect immediate actions from the UN Mission in Kosovo and the NATO-led Kosovo Force to carry out their mandates, which are sanctioned by the Security Council, including annulling the decisions of Pristina’s autonomous bodies and adopting tough administrative measures against them.” Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said that all the members of the Security Council are united in their commitment to resolution 1244 on Kosovo.
A number of diplomats from Europe and the United States have expressed the view that the move by Pristina does not contradict the Security Council resolution. Thus, the US ambassador to the UN, Alejandro Wolf, calls upon the document very selectively: according to him, the uniqueness of the Kosovo situation is highlighted in UN Security Council resolution 1244, which Russia voted for in 1999. In addition, he said, Kosovo’s declaration of independence expresses support for “Ahtisaari’s plan”. For UN recognition of Kosovo’s independence Russia’s mandatory consent is required in the Security Council. Wolf admitted that this is not an issue that would be resolved in the near future.
Russia, as always, supports Serbia. Serbia’s president, Boris Tadic, has been invited to the emergency session of the Security Council. According to Serbia’s ambassador to Russia, Stanimir Vukicevic, his country “will demand that the UN Security Council and the UN’s Secretary General declare the self-proclaimed independence of Kosovo illegal and dissolve Kosovo’s parliament.”
It was reported this morning that the United States and six of the 27 European nations - Belgium, France, Italy, Great Britain, Croatia and Germany - intend to support the independence of the Serbian province of Kosovo, but would do so only after today’s meeting of EU foreign ministers. Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Slovakia have consistently opposed the recognition of sovereignty. Each country has its interest, its separatists, and its potential problems.
Former federal republics cannot ignore the situation. Ukraine, anticipating questions on the Crimea, tried to wiggle out of them: we approve of independence (Kiev cannot oppose Washington and Brussels), but this cannot become a precedent. Georgia, concerned by its own separatists, condemned Pristina’s move.
The declaration of independence, as was to be expected, has emboldened unrecognized, former Soviet republics. The president of Abkhazia, Sergey Bagapsh, announced his intention to continue to strive for independence. The South Ossetian leader, Eduard Kokoity, said that his republic and Abkhazia had more political and legal grounds than Kosovo to count on recognition of their independence, and would appeal to Russia and other UN countries to recognize its independence.
However, Moscow is not about to rush into recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, nor will it make efforts to return the Crimea or Transdniestria because “this is disadvantageous to us, both in the short and long term,” a diplomatic source explained to Expert Online.
It is true we do not want to let the United States into the Balkans. NATO bases in Kosovo will be too close to our southern borders. Moreover, as diplomats are saying, our interest is in observing international law: “If you break the rules, then before long there will not be any left.”
If the decision of the Security Council does not correspond “to our understanding of the rule of law, we will take steps, and we will oppose it,” a diplomatic source told Expert Online. In the UN Security Council it is not customary to take a matter to a veto.Typically, in cases of conflict, they look for a different solution: a working group is created which tries to find a compromise solution. Moscow hopes that, as in the case of “Ahtisaari’s plan”, the Security Council will not hold an ultimate vote, and that the issue will return to the channel of direct talks between Serbs and Albanians.
The best way to solve the problem is a consensual decision, because only it will last.
Evgeniya Novikova
Photo: AP
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