Kosovo discussed at US-EU ministerial, IMF, Council of Europe

In Washington, the Foreign Minister of the Slovenian EU presidency Dimitrij Rupel said on Monday that Washington is predominantly interested in the question of Kosovo, and that it expects Ljubljana to use pressure toward the establishment of stability in the region.

"The White House believes that Slovenia should in some way exert greater pressure on those who make decisions in connection with Kosovo and Serbia, and in the Western Balkans in general," Rupel said after a meeting with US National Security Advisor Steven Hadley at the White House.

Also in Washington, Kosovo failed to gain support for accession into the International Monetary Fund amid rather large Western pressure and Pristina's claims that membership in international financial institutions could be the key to its success.

Kosovo's bid for IMF membership stayed away from the main stage of organization's spring meeting, but Kosovo Albanian leaders hope for a serious breakthrough in six months when financial leaders meet again.

Deputy premier of outgoing Serbian government, Bozidar Djelic, warned that Belgrade would face a rather tough task attempting to block Kosovo's accession into IMF or the World Bank, as Western countries, which were the main sponsors of Pristina's moves, hold decision-making powers in those organizations.

"So far, there were no initiatives for Kosovo to become a member of the IMF," Djelic said.

"We have a couple of more months to fight", the Serbian deputy premier said.

Meanwhile, in Strasbourg, Russia's proposals regarding a draft resolution on facts of inhumane treatment of  people and illegal trade in human organs in Kosovo have received the signatures of all five political groups of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and were handed over to the organization's secretariat on Monday, State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev said.

He referred particularly the proposal to oversee the  investigation of facts described in Criminal Tribunal for the  former Yugoslavia chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte's memoirs, where she said that militants from the Kosovo Liberation Army  abducted hundreds of people living in Serb enclaves as well as  citizens of Moldova, Russia, Romania and other countries in the  province at the end of the 1990s.     

"There are indications that top leaders of Kosovo were  involved in these crimes," the draft resolution proposed by the  Russian delegation said.

"The assembly has no reasons to question the competence and knowledge of the former prosecutor of the Hague tribunal on  this matter. The assembly believes it necessary to carry out a  thorough investigation of the facts mentioned in del Ponte's book in order to verify their authenticity, restore justice in  respect to the victims of crimes and determine those responsible for them", the document says.

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