Russia: EU Has No Mandate in Kosovo

Pristina _ Russia has strongly opposed the deployment of the European Union's new law and order mission to Kosovo.

“We warn the EU not to make such an erroneous move,” Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's ambassador to the EU said, urging Brussels to seek consent from Serbia.

He said the “EU had no legal mandate to replace UNMIK in Kosovo without Serbia’s approval.”

Russia opposes both the independence of Kosovo and the replacement of the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK whose mandate is regulated by UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which was passed at the end of the 1998-1999 conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.

Resolution 1244 foresees Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia, and as it is still in force, Belgrade and chief ally, Russia insist Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence on February 17 is illegal.

They also argue the EU's police and judiaciary mission, EULEX, is illegal since under the resolution the UN is the sole supervisory authority in Kosovo.

Chizhov said Russia would agree to legalise EULEX through a UN resolution if it was approved by Serbia and if it defined Kosovo as part of Serbia.

“The only way to move forward is through dialogue with the Kosovo Serb community, and through a resumption of the negotiating process between Belgrade and Pristina, which will be difficult but would constitute the only possible way,” Chizhov said.

He explained that Moscow addressed the issue to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon during his last visit to Russia that no transfer of UNMIK powers must be conveyed to EULEX, whose deployment has already started.

EULEX is expected to takeover the international supervisory role by June when Kosovo's Constitution of Kosovo comes into force.