UN SC now splits on Serb local elections in Kosovo
The divide within the UN Security Council – already wide over the status of Kosovo – expanded on Monday after its members split on whether Belgrade should go ahead with the planned local elections to be held in Kosovo on May 11.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, April 22, 2008
"We believe that the Serbs have every right to conduct their parliamentary and municipal elections when they see fit," Russian ambassador Vitaliy Churkin said.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Belgrade should reconsider the position.
"We believe that those elections should not go forward, that they would be illegitimate, and that the U.N. representative, Joackim Ruecker, has characterized it as such. Going forward with that would not be helpful," he said.
British Ambassador John Sawers echoed that position.
Belgrade wants to organize municipal elections in parallel with parliamentary elections on May 11.
In the past, Serbia has always organized parliamentary and presidential elections in Kosovo, while local elections were organized by Unmik.
However, given Unmik's failure to annul Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence and subsequent acts by Pristina authorities, Belgrade has decided to organize local elections on its own.
The decision was adopted by the Serbian government last week.
