Russia denies pressure on UN chief over Kosovo
Russia rejected reports that Moscow’s top officials blackmailed United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to redefine his rather pale stance on Kosovo for Russia’s support for second term on the top of the world organization.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin described the recent reports as "pure fabrication", saying that Moscow's foreign policy simply does not function in such a manner.
"This is not a manner in which Russia does business with its international partners, certainly including the secretary-general of the United Nations," Churkin said. "In the course of our contacts with the secretary-general we, of course, always clearly expressed our position, but those contacts have always been respectful of the position of the secretary-general and the person of Mr. Ban Ki-moon. So no threats - veiled or direct - have ever been made."
However, Russia admitted it was less than satisfied with Ban's confused stance over Kosovo lately, asking the Secretary-General to stand firmly behind Security Council's decisions, including famous resolution 1244, as a corner-stone of province's status following the 1998-99 conflict.
In addition, high-ranking Russian officials, including the outgoing President Vladimir Putin and his successor Dmitry Medvedev, warned the UN chief that attempts to transfer authority from UNMIK to future, 2,000-strong European Union mission would be illegal.
Moscow described Pristina's unilateral declaration of independence as contrary to the international law, dangerous precedent for international relations and a bad example for similar ethnic and territorial disputes throughout the world.
The UN chief has been stranded between the West and Russia for the past six months, as he tried to steer away from Kosovo troublesome status issue, with the United States advocating the Albanian quest for statehood and Moscow protecting the territorial integrity of Serbia.
