UNSC debates Kosovo report
United Nations Security Council is convening on Wednesday to review the regular quarterly report on the situation in Kosovo written by the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and his special representative in troubled province Joachim Ruecker, but the discussion could easily turn to heated debate about the controversial Western plan to recognize a unilaterally-declared independence of Kosovo.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Wednesday, January 16, 2008
"We are pulling Kosovo away from the independence and we'll not stop," Serbian President Boris Tadic told reporters in New York, just hours before the Security Council meeting, and possible new clash between the West and Russia over the future of Serbian breakaway province.
However, only Tadic will be allowed to speak during the public debate, as a representative of sovereign country. After the speech by Serbian President, the Security Council will continue the debate behind the closed doors, with newly appointed Kosovo Premier and former rebel chief Hashim Thaci expected to address the 15-member body.
The Wednesday's meeting was originally meant to review the work of the UNMIK, but the session of Security Council, split into two camps, is likely to erupt in impassioned argument over the future status of Kosovo.
In a report released ahead of the meeting, the UN chief warned that political deadlock over Kosovo's future status could endanger accomplishments of the international community recorded over past eight years, but expressed slight unease sentiment over the Security Council's incapability to deal with the issue in New York.
"Expectations in Kosovo remain high that a solution to Kosovo's future status must be found rapidly. As such, the status quo is not likely to be sustainable...Should the impasse continue, events on the ground could take on a momentum of their own, putting at serious risk the achievements and legacy of the United Nations in Kosovo," Ban said.
However, Belgrade reacted harshly to Ban's report, saying that the latest document contains a number of false facts and wrong political assessments and had issued a 27 pages long "counter-report" to provide the Security Council with information on several major issues, including the lack of progress on standards implementation, freedom of movement, security, and return of some 200,000 Serbian refugees.
