Kosova: EU Urges Serbian Cooperation
UN special envoy for the future status process for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari was in Brussels on Wednesday to update the European commission on the progress of the ongoing negotiations.
“When we pressure Pristina to move forward, we also need the co-operation of the minority community,” Ahtisaari insisted.
“We have also encouraged Belgrade to be more constructive in Kosovo talks,” EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn added.
“But it is also a matter for the minority Serbs in Kosovo to engage constructively.”
Interethnic violence erupted after Kosovo was placed under the authority of the UN in June 1999. The Serbian and Albanian communities there live almost completely separate lives.
The Albanian majority in Kosovo is seeking independence for the province, which Belgrade refuses, in turn demanding greater autonomy for the Serb minority.
And officials believe that without an agreement on the province’s
future, there is little chance of reconciliation.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ahtisaari brushed off criticism that talks so far have
been overwhelmed by splits.
“It is not true to say there has been no progress in talks so far. Of course, there have been different views, this is not surprising. But we have to go through this exercise before we can seriously discuss status.”
The next round of talks is due to kick off on May 4 and will centre on tricky questions over the establishment of municipalities within Kosovo.
The Serbian government in Belgrade wants to establish municipalities in areas with Serbian majorities so they can elect and appoint Serbs to the police and the judiciary, and to health and education postings.
And ethnic Albanian negotiators say they may be willing to grant a degree of autonomy to Serb-dominated localities - provided they are linked to the government in Pristina, were Kosovo to be granted independence.
Later talks will also examine the explosive issue of minority rights. The UN special representatives will report to the security council on the whole package of issues in June this year.
“I know there will come a moment when the status of Kosovo has to be discussed but those discussions will come after ongoing discussions and not in parallel with them,” Ahtisaari explained.
“After the report to the security council, I will need to discuss how to proceed. Whatever Kosovo’s status might be, we have to find a safe and secure future – including for the minority Serbs.”
The former Finnish president said that, with the backing of the EU, he was confident a solution can be found.
“The EU plays an extremely important role in these talks and the most important support the EU can give is for all member states to keep the EU perspective for the whole of the western Balkans in sight,” Ahtisaari told journalists.
“Ahtisaari has the full backing of the commission. It is now time for all sides to make serious compromise and to face the reality of this sensitive issue,” European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso added.
When questioned as to whether European member states, weary with “enlargement fatigue”, were truly supportive of eventual entry for the western Balkans, Barroso was adamant.
“EU support is convincing,” he insisted. “But are we making it as visible as we should? Do people of the western Balkans know? Maybe not. We should do more to communicate that message, and that is why I am here now.”
Source: Europolitics.com