Bildt: UN needed in Kosovo because “we have no agreement yet”
Swedish Foreign minister Carl Bildt said in Brussels that there was “no agreement yet on the status of Kosovo” because Martti Ahtisaari’s plan had not been adopted in the UN Security Council, and he underlined that in the coming period there would be a need to have a prolonged role for the UN in the field.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, March 17, 2008
"We are working on the basis of the Ahtisaari plan, but this plan was supposed to be adopted at the UN Security Council. That would have resolved numerous problems, which are now unresolved", Bildt said.
"There will be a need for a continuous role of the UN in many fields which were not outlined in the Ahtisaari plan a year ago", he added.
Bildt said that, for example, the UN could resolve the problems that Kosovo Albanians will face with « Kosovo passports », which would be recognized only in states which have recognized Kosovo's secession.
"There will be countries which will not recognize Kosovo and the citizens of Kosovo would have to travel to those states with UN passports", Bildt said.
"UN will be needed to represent Kosovo in some places where this would be impossible otherwise because we do not have a UN resolution and because Kosovo will not be recognized by everyone", Bildt said.
The role of the UN will also be needed in order to communicate with the Kosovo Serbs, the Swedish minister said.
Bildt admitted that there was "no crystal clear division of labor between international institutions in Kosovo".
"It's work in progess, we are trying to adapt to a situation which is somewhat different from a year ago, to adapt to the situation in the field", the Swedish minister said.
