Germany leads the EU block opposed to Kosovo’s unilateral independence: reports
Germany is at the forefront of European Union countries opposed to the US plan for recognizing a unilateral declaration of independence by the Kosovo Albanians if no agreement between Belgrade and Pristina is found by December 10, media reports say.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, September 11, 2007
According to diplomatic sources, Britain and France are reportedly among EU countries ready to recognize Kosovo's independence. Meanwhile, Spain, Hungary, Greece, Slovakia, Cyprus and Romania are rejecting such an outcome and other governments are showing signs of ambivalence.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Portugal over the weekend admitted disagreements on Kosovo among the 27 member states. Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, stressed preventing an EU split was "key to the credibility of Europe's foreign policy."
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said Sunday that Greece insisted an agreement on the future status of Kosovo must take into consideration all the countries in the region. "Whichever solution is found must take into consideration Europe's future and that of all the countries in the region," Karamanlis said. Any solution must also be with Belgrade's consent, he stressed.
"There are no solutions which can be imposed from above. Any solution must be accepted or at least tolerated by all sides," Karamanlis added.
Austria's Foreign Affairs minister Ursula Plasnik openly criticized Washington by arguing that the EU was putting great efforts behind the talks, and that "any kind of unilateral move would not be helpful".
German Deputy Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Julia Gross said Monday she did not want "to speculate on a likely failure of the talks". She urged Serbs and Albanians "to use the chance within a limited time period" for a negotiated settlement of the ongoing crisis.
Last week top Berlin officials warned against any attempts by Western countries to sidestep the UN and Russia on Kosovo independence, saying that such a risky move would harm Germany's and the EU's relations with Moscow.
During a conference of German ambassadors held in Berlin last week, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that there is nothing that can be solved without Russia, including the issue of Kosovo.
"As you know, we had very tough talks with Russia already. However, I still think that with all the different points of view, Russia for us remains an important, strategic partner even if in the future we may not share the same opinions," Steinmeier said.
