Ahtisaari to submit status proposal by year's end

Ahtisaari to submit status proposal by year's end

Asked whether Serbia’s election could influence the Kosovo solution deadlines, Ahtisaari said this was up to the Contact Group to decide.

”For now all I heard on the subject is that the job should be continued as planned, and I heard nothing about Serbian elections”, UN Special Envoy said.  

Asked to comment on the scenario where Serbian elections are scheduled within the next ten days, Ahtisaari said this question too should be posed to the Contact Group.

“I have been instructed to find the solution by the end of the year, and these instructions have not changed”.

“Any reasonable man would favor a negotiated solution, but should that not be possible, a solution will be presented to both sides and the UN Security Council”, Ahtisaari was quoted as saying.

Ceku calls for imposed solution

Agim Ceku said that a solution for the Kosovo status solution should be imposed on Belgrade.

Ceku said that postponing the status decision would negate all of the progress made and that a delayed decision could lead to more conflicts in the Balkans.

“The people of Kosovo expect that the status question, according to the promises of the Contact Group, will be solved by the end of the year. Any kind of postponement would be very discouraging, the credibility of the Kosovo Government would be hurt and instability would result.” Ceku told the Financial Times, according to BBC.

He added that he believes that full support from the international community for the independence of Kosovo still exists and that he hopes that the Contact Group will keep its promise which it gave in September and try to make sure that the Kosovo status solution is found by the end of the year.

No solution before February?

Priština daily Koha Ditore writes that a postponement of the Kosovo status solution is receiving more and more support, and that the Kosovo leaders are to blame for creating the impression that the solution will be found by the end of 2006.

The daily cites unnamed, western diplomatic sources who stated that the different opinions on the topic will be heard today and tomorrow at the EU meetings in Luxembourg.

“Some EU officials will defend the stance that the solution should be reached by the end of the year, while others are defending the stance that it is not good to rush at all costs. This means that this week, the dilemma regarding the deadlines for determining the status will be solved,” the daily writes.

“The Kosovo leaders misread the statements of the Contact Group as a guarantee that the status will be solved by the end of 2006. There was no information at the Contact Group meeting in London on January 31 or in New York on September 20 that there would be elections held in Serbia, which is very significant because Serbia is one of the sides in the discussions,” the daily writes.

The daily continues, stating that the elections in Serbia are not the only reason for the postponement of the status decision, stating that there will also be time needed for UN Envoy Martti Ahtisaari to formulate a proposed solution and for the United Nations Security Council to approve it.

A majority of the diplomats which the daily contacted stated that in the most optimistic scenario, the status solution would be reached in February or March.