Ahtisaari in UN today

Ahtisaari in UN today

Serbian President Boris Tadić said that Serbia did not demand the talks be put off, but rather to have the date of the beginning of the talks in Vienna co-ordinated with the forming of the new government and negotiating team, which is a technical matter.

“I reiterated that Serbia finds the independence of Kosovo unacceptable and staked out that Serbia would continue to negotiate hoping that Ahtisaari’s proposal may be amended, particularly in regards to the aspects where vital interests of Serbia and its people are at stake. Serbia will not obstruct the negotiating process, but defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty, standing up for its interests in Kosovo”, Tadić said.

EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana said that a short postponement of the final round of the Kosovo status talks would be acceptable to the EU, but added that it was up to Brussels to make the decision.

On the other hand, Kosovo Government took a joint stand against any delay of the talks due to commence on February 13, confirming the position Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku voiced last week.

According to the timetable that Ahtisaari presented to Priština along with the status proposal, the final version of the proposal should be sent to New York in the middle of March and put before the UN Security Council in April in a form of a resolution set to finalize the status of Kosovo.

Solana said yesterday in Priština that Ahtisaari should decide about the postponement of the talks. However, Kosovo PM Agim Ceku said that there was no mention of the postponement at the meeting held between members of the Priština negotiating team and Solana.

Simić: Plan acceptable if amended

Predrag Simić, member of the Belgrade negotiating team, said that Serbia could approve of Ahtisaari’s proposal if the portion outlining the borders of the province was amended.

Simić said that Serbia could accept the plan on condition that the Serbian borders remained unchanged. He added that Serbia also rejects the provisions of the plan allowing Kosovo to have statehood symbols, and seek membership in international organizations, electronic media reported.

Koštunica and Steinmeier at odds

Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica said that a compromise between Belgrade and Priština is unlikely to be reached, given disrespect for the UN Charter and the territorial integrity of Serbia.

“We should not be fooled to believe that a solution not based on the UN Charter can be regarded as an isolated case without affecting other countries. Serbia will carry on with a constructive approach in the negotiations, but it will insist that the UN Charter and the principle of integrity and sovereignty be applied to Serbia. Serbia can not become an exception to the rule”, Koštunica said.

Koštunica restated his opinion that the majority of the Serbian negotiating team’s demands were not included in Ahtisaari’s proposal. He added that the proposal did not include elements of compromise between Belgrade and Priština.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, however, did not share Koštunica’s concern. Following the meeting with the Serbian President and Prime Minister he said that the proposal was a firm basis for further negotiations, and expressed hopes that the compromise will be acceptable to both sides in the upcoming talks.

Serbian Assembly to adopt a resolution on Ahtisari's plan

The drafting of the resolution, meant for an adoption at the first session of the Serbian Assembly in response to Ahtisaari’s status proposal, is under way, the Daily Večernje Novosti reported. The resolution is sponsored by parliamentary parties that have agreed on the issue, as the Daily relayed.

DSS official Dušan Proroković said that the focal point of the text was reserved  to Serbia's stance that Ahtisaari’s proposal is unacceptable.

At its first session due to take place next week, the Serbian Assembly is expected to renew the mandate of the Belgrade Kosovo negotiating team and hear team representatives voice the position of Serbia in regards to the upcoming talks in Vienna.

There’s a back-up plan in case some parties make an objection to the repeated elections at six polling points, which might delay the first session of the parliament. In case of such a scenario, Tadić would have go to Vienna and ask for the postponement of the talks until after Serbian Parliament is formed.