UN hears latest plan for Kosovo independence
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
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Kosovo's Prime Minister, Agim Ceku, has urged the UN Security Council to endorse a plan recommending internationally supervised independence for the province.
Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president who mediated talks between ethnic Albanians and Serbs over the contested territory, was due to appear before the Security Council to discuss his plan last night.
Mr Ahtisaari's proposal calls for the province's independence from Serbia, initially supervised by the international community, and offers broad rights to the Serb minority to run their daily affairs and preserve their identity and culture. The Security Council must approve the plan for it to come into effect.
"Ahtisaari will explain to the Security Council what he meant and why he proposed independence for Kosovo as the only workable, functional, practical solution for Kosovo," Mr Ceku said. "I expect [the delegates] to accept these arguments, to work hard and very quickly to adopt a new resolution and to endorse his proposal."
The plan faces an uncertain future in the Security Council. Russia supports Serbia, which wants the province to remain within its borders, and has implied it could use its veto in the Council if Belgrade's interests are not addressed. The United States backed the plan, while some members of the European Union have expressed reservations. "It's not going to be easy," Mr Ceku acknowledged.
In the past 10 days, three explosions have occurred in the ethnically tense north of Kosovo, including a Molotov cocktail attack on a UN vehicle yesterday.
