Serbia: UN Kosovo Plan 'Not Negotiable'

Belgrade _ Belgrade has reached an agreement over the deployment of the EU's new law-and-order mission to Kosovo, EULEX, and it is not negotiable, insists Serbia's Foreign Minister.

Vuk Jeremic told state-run television RTS in an interview Tuesday night that an agreement “back by all United Nations member states” has already been reached, and that no further negotiations would be held, despite the Kosovo government’s rejection of the UN’s so-called “six-point plan” for deployment.
The Serbian Minister said that Belgrade “appreciates greatly the efforts of the international community to persuade Pristina that the road of compromise is the only road forward for ensuring peace and stability.”

“But, as far as we're concerned, the talks have ended," he said, adding that Serbia would now wait for the UN Security Council to approve the plan.

Pristina’s main gripe is the UN plan’s confirmation of its Resolution 1244, passed after the conflicts between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian rebels ended in 1999, which guarantees Serbia’s sovereignty over the province.

Kosovo officials have said they would reject all plans that do not affirm its independence from Serbia, which it declared in February of this year and has been recognised by a majority of the EU bloc.

Pristina wants the plan drafted in 2007 by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, envisaging internationally-supervised independence for Kosovo, to be implemented. Serbia rejects that plan, which was never approved by the UN Security Council, thanks in large to the influence of Serbia’s most powerful ally, Russia, which holds a veto there.

Belgrade insists that there can be no 'reconfiguration' of the current UN Kosovo mission, UNMIK, without the approval of the Security Council. Serbia also insists on the EU mission maintaining a neutral status for Kosovo with no confirmation of Pristina’s unilaterally declared independence.

EULEX is expected to gradually replace the UNMIK administrative mission in Kosovo, which has been there since 1999, with a civilian mission of police and court officials.

Brussels has announced plans to have the mission functioning in Kosovo by early December.