Council of Europe debate confirms member divisions over Kosovo
The debate on the consequences of the unilateral proclamation of the independence of Kosovo, held at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Wednesday, confirmed the deep divisions in this organization which rallies MPs from 47 member-states.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, April 17, 2008
Representatives of the Swedish delegation, which launched the initiative for the debate, explained that the objective was that the Council of Europe (CoE) should coordinate its positions following the unilateral proclamation of the indepedence of Kosovo, in spite of the divisions among the member-states within this organization over the question of the recognition of Kosovo.
Most MPs expressed deep concern over the situation created following the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo and asked how this could be treated as a unique case.
Swiss MP Dick Marty, known for instigating the investigation about the secret detentions of the CIA, said that there was no point in claiming that this is a sui generis case, since that does not lead anywhere.
Serbian delegation head Milos Aligrudic pointed out that this is in fact a dangerous precedent, and insisted that the unilateral proclamation of the independence of Kosovo is not conducive to peace or stability, or the resolving of the problem of Serbs and ethnic Albanians.
Serbian delegation member Dragoljub Micunovic stressed that the proclamation of the independence of Kosovo is a gross violation of international law, and that the stand that this is a unique case cannot be presented in advance, since it can be expected that other regions will follow the example of the southern Serbian province.
The European United Left believes the unilateral proclamation of the independence of Kosovo is contrary to international law, while the European People's Party concluded that there is no united position on this question within the CoE or within the European Union (EU).
A representative of the European Democrat Group, an MP from Denmark, underscored that some people consider that the recognition of Kosovo is a consequence of the NATO air strikes in 1999. The picture on these developments is distorted in Western media, the MP said, and the attacks of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK), whose objective was the ethnic cleansing of the territory of Kosovo of Serbs, have been forgotten.
