Russia’s effort at UNSC prevent EU from expelling Unmik from Kosovo
Russia’s diplomatic initiative at the Sunday urgent consulations in the UN Security Council forced the European Union to abandon its plans to expell the UN mission from Kosovo within 120 days.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, February 18, 2008
"Today's consultations at the UN Security Council showed that we have succeeded in rejecting the position about expelling the UN from Kosovo", Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said in New York.
He was referring to the provisions set up by the Ahtisaari plan - rejected at the UN SC -- which would allow the EU mission Eulex and its special respresentative in Kosovo to take over prerogatives from Unmik.
"EU representatives have now modified their stances ... they are now starting from the fact that they will respect the presence of the UN in Kosovo", Churkin said.
The Russian ambassador underlined the importance of the move, saying it showed that "the fight over the legality or illegality of decisions taken in Pristina will continue".
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the resolution 1244 remained "in full force" and refrained from giving any green or even yellow light to the EU mission, sent to Kosovo unilaterally by Brussels.
Churkin rejected claims by EU that it was deploying its mission on the basis of resolution 1244.
"This is simply ridiculous. They said that the mission is being deployed in order to implement the Martti Ahtisaari plan, which does not have anything to do with the UN SC Resolution 1244", Churkin said.
The United Nations Security Council will convene at the urgent session on Monday.
Serbian President Boris Tadic is expected to call the Security Council to declare Kosovo Albanian's decision null and void.
"Serbia will never recognize Kosovo and Metohija's independence... Serbia has reacted and will react with all peaceful, diplomatic and legal means to annul this act of Kosovo's temporary institutions," Tadic said in Belgrade ahead of the New York trip.
