Moscow issues warning over Kosovo

Moscow issues warning over Kosovo

By Stefan Wagstyl

Published: April 26 2007 19:32 | Last updated: April 26 2007 19:32

After
weeks of shadow-boxing, Moscow could be preparing for a fight with
Washington over the disputed Balkan territory of Kosovo.

Vladimir
Titov, a Russian deputy foreign minister, said this week that the plan
prepared by Martti Ahtisaari, the United Nations envoy, for supervised
independence for Kosovo would “not get through the UN Security Council”.

It
was the strongest signal yet that Russia might veto the proposals,
which have been endorsed by the US, Britain and other leading European
Union members. So far, Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, has avoided
the veto question, saying that until a resolution is put to the
Security Council there is “nothing to veto”.

At Russia’s
instigation, the Security Council is on a mission to Europe, including
the Balkans, this week. The 15 ambassadors are visiting Kosovo, the
disputed and UN-administered southern province of Serbia, where the
ethnic Albanian majority demands independence. The team is also
visiting Serbia, which insists that Kosovo must remain part of its
territory.

One western observer said he feared the possibilities
for Russia ranged from a veto to grudging support for a weak resolution
– far removed from the Ahtisaari plan.

While Russian officials
deny they are deliberately delaying a settlement, they argue there
should be no rush to judgment. Yuri Fedotov, the Russian ambassador to
London, told journalists this month: “If we have been waiting a few
years, why should we take a decision in a few weeks?”

Russian
officials say they would support any settlement negotiated between
Serbia and Kosovo. But Mr Ahtisaari says negotiations cannot bridge an
unbridgeable gap.

The US and other western powers agree. They
fear that the ethnic Albanians might take matters into their own hands
and declare independence unilaterally if they are forced to wait much
longer.

Russia’s position seems rooted in four considerations.
First, Serbia is a traditional ally and a Balkan base for Russian
companies. Next, with Moscow keen to demonstrate its political
resurgence, Kosovo is an opportunity to assert Russia’s influence deep
in Europe. The Kremlin still resents the 1999 Nato assault which forced
Serbia from Kosovo.

Third, Russia might still hope to exploit
differences over the Ahtisaari plan within the EU, with Spain, for
example, having reservations. Finally, Russia has given warning that if
the ethnic Albanians win independence without UN agreement, a precedent
will be set for other separatists – not least in the former Soviet
Union.

President Vladimir Putin has explicitly linked Kosovo with
the troubled Caucasus saying “commonly recognised universal principles”
were needed.

In Georgia, for instance, Russian-backed separatists
in Abkhazia and South Ossetia have sought independence. Moscow publicly
endorses Georgia’s territorial integrity, but has also given the
separatist authorities political and financial support. Georgia says
Russia has gone further and tried to exacerbate the conflicts.

In Moldova, meanwhile, Russia has backed the breakaway region
of Transdniestria. In the past month, it has unilaterally proposed
plans for ending the conflict between Transdniestrian and Moldovan
authorities – ignoring mechanisms for consulting the EU.

While
there are no direct links between the Moldova and Kosovo disputes,
Russia’s unilateral approach could be seen as a response to what it
views as the west’s effort to impose a one-sided settlement in Kosovo.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/057975f0-f421-11db-88aa-000b5df10621,_i_rssPage=7c485a38-2f7a-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html

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