The UN Security Council is starting debates on Martti Ahtisaari's Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement. But the former Finnish president's proposal may fail to stabilize the situation in the region.
The proposal contains a number of basic principles for granting Kosovo "conditional" independence or "independence under international control." Although the document does not contain the word "independence," it is clear that de facto the territory will get all the attributes of statehood. Under the proposal "an international civilian representative (ICR)" delegated by the European Union will have "ultimate supervisory authority over the implementation of the Settlement," while NATO and EU forces will provide security in the province.
The Kosovo Albanian leaders have adopted the proposal with reservations, whereas Belgrade has turned it down flat. The reasons are clear - Ahtisaari's approach to Kosovo's future status is glaringly at variance with the Constitution of Serbia, which lists the province as one of its autonomous regions.
It will be virtually impossible to build the "multi-ethnic society" proposed by Ahtisaari with an Albanian majority and a Serbian minority. The head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Joachim Ruecker, was forced to acknowledge this as far back as September 2006.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070403/63035344.html |
