Russia to Protest over EU's Kosovo Mission

Belgrade _ Moscow will protest to the UN over the legality of the EU’s law and order mission to Kosovo, Russia’s envoy to Serbia has said.

In an interview with the Sunday edition of the Belgrade daily Politika, Aleksandr Konuzin, the Russian ambassador to Serbia, promised Belgrade “the most energetic support” in its opposition to the European Union’s mission to Kosovo known as EULEX, which is set to gradually become the main international supervisory body in Serbia’s former province.

Kosovo, which had been administered by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, following the 1998-1999 conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority, is to shortly leave Kosovo, in light of its February 17 declaration of independence from Serbia.

"We have said many times that international presence in Kosovo is based on the UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Therefore, any change of its mandate or form, such as deployment of an European Union mission in the province, must be approved by the UN Security Council and agreed by all sides," Konuzin told the daily.

UN Security Council 1244 was the international rulebook that guided the mandate of the world body’s Kosovo mission. Under this, only the UN can administer Kosovo on behalf of Serbia.

Last week, a senior UN official said EULEX will work under the world body’s umbrella. Read more: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/12406/

However, Konuzin said that UNMIK's ‘reconfiguration’ (the term used to describes its preparations for exit from Kosovo) had started without a UN Security Council decision, charging that "Brussels plans to have EULEX enter Kosovo through that process,” which, he described as “illegal.”

"Serbia must insist on the rejection of illegal steps, whether they're taken either by the EU or the UN Secretariat,” he urged.

Promising Moscow’s staunch support on the issue, Konuzin said that “Russia would ask for an explanation at a Security Council meeting."

However, he added that the move did not mean to exclude other, “non-provocative forms of the EU's participation in helping to resolve the Kosovo issue - of course, in line with the (UN) resolution.”