UNSC: Ban Ki-Moon hints at EU mission

Ban Ki-Moon said he "took note of the readiness of the European Union to take a greater role in Kosovo as expressed in the conclusions of the European Council from December 14".

As reported by KosovoCompromise last week, Western diplomats sought such formulation from Ban as a positive indication for the EU to continue with its preparations for sending the mission, despite the obvious legal shortcomings.

Meanwhile, in Strasbourg,  Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said Wednesday that the mission the EU planned to send to Kosovo was not the kind of mission usually sent to independent and recognized states.

"A defense and protection policy mission will be deployed to Kosovo. Such missions are not sent to independent and recognized states," Jansa said after he presented the European Parliament with Slovenia's positions on Kosovo, as the current holder of the EU rotating presidency.

Meanwhile, Jansa voiced pessimism regarding the possibility of finding a compromise solution for the status of Kosovo. "It seems highly unlikely that the Kosovo problem can be solved through talks now," he stressed.

Jansa marked the Kosovo issue as one of the "most serious challenges facing the EU," which was now trying to resolve it. He added that no concrete talks were under way in the EU yet concerning the recognition of Kosovo.

Jansa pointed out that Ljubljana was in favor of a "harmonized approach" to the Kosovo issue. He said that "Kosovo will not spark another war in the Balkans," because the EU members had reached a consensus on European engagement and the deployment of a mission to the province.

"We are working on harmonizing as much as possible those moves that can leave very serious consequences, aware of the fact that a broader agreement within the UN will most likely be impossible," he said.

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