Below is an article published by B92:

Reuters reports that part of the plan presented to the UN “explicitly proposes Kosovo’s independence.” The agency quotes its political sources at the UN as saying the Kosovo status plan will recommend internationally supervised independence.

A second source has confirmed this information, adding that Ahtisaari’s proposal included recommendations for Kosovo’s “accelerated independence.”

UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari had avoided using the term “independence” in his 58-page plan unveiled to both sides last month.

Ahtisaari's deputy Albert Rohan is in New York today to submit the Kosovo status proposal to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The UN Security Council is expected to launch the discussion over the final status of the Serb province on March 26.

Tanjug news agency reported earlier from its diplomatic sources at the UN that the U.S., UK, Germany and France regarded the document as the ultimate version of the Kosovo status proposal, but it still remained unclear whether the document contained a clear-cut definition of the province’s future status.

UN special Kosovo envoy Martti Ahtisaari said earlier that the status proposal which would appear before the UN Security Council would unambiguously designate Kosovo’s future status.

UNMIK Chief: Kosovo is ready

UNMIK [UN Mission in Kosovo] chief Joachim Ruecker said that Kosovo was prepared for the next stage of its historical development.

“Even though Martti Ahtisaari’s amended plan didn’t satisfy the needs of both sides, they ought to accept it as a result of a year long negotiations.” Ruecker maintained.

As a guest in Kosovo KiM radio program, Ruecker said that event though the situation in the province “was not perfect at present, everybody agree that the status quo is no longer sustainable.”

“Both sides had equal chances to reach a compromise at some point in the negotiating process. I must hark back to the fact, confirmed by the Contact Group, that the process had its beginning and thus has to come to an end.” Ruecker concluded.

“The UN Security Council won’t make a straightforward decision”

“The debate at the UN Security Council is likely to last for at least several months, and if it extends beyond the end of 2007, unilateral recognition of Kosovo can be expected,” Robert McMahon from the Washington-based Council on Foreign Affairs says.

“I believe that U.S. and Russia will intensify talks on the issue, with considerable engagement of other permanent UN Security Council members along with Germany, that currently holds the EU presidency,” McMahon told BBC adding that “these countries will try to reach a common ground, but their differences will also emerge in the process.”

“It is always the case when the UN Security Council takes over an issue,” McMahon went on to explain, “Russia clarifies what it finds acceptable. They have already said they will deny support to the resolution which Belgrade rejects. China is also not so keen on questioning the sovereignty of existent states, so it will probably have something to say even though it has kept a low profile over the Kosovo issue so far,” McMahon added.

According to him, Americans and Russians wouldn’t easily overcome their differences regarding Kosovo, and Russia would not simply back down, given recurrent statements made by Russian officials about refusing to accept imposed solutions.

“I assume that Russia would try to postpone the settlement of the Kosovo status, and possibly propose prolongation of the international administration over Kosovo so as to buy time,” McMahon said adding that Russia would probably demand that if Kosovo gained independence, “Abkhazia, the breakaway province of Georgia predominantly populated by Russians, should receive the same treatment.”

The Council for Foreign Relations expert believed that Ahtisaari’s plan surely paved the way for the recognition of Kosovo’s statehood outside the UN Security Council.

“The U.S. hasn’t yet implied that it would make steps towards accepting Kosovo’s independence outside the UN Security Council, but we cannot exclude the possibility they would do that in the near future,” McMahon concluded.