Ladies
and gentlemen,
I would like to thank you for your warm welcome and let me say how happy
I am to have this opportunity to be with you today and present you with some
latest information about Kosovo status process.
I would like to begin with some general facts about Kosovo and then I
will talk about its recent history. Of course I will not go into details
because unfortunately we do not have a lot of time today. My principle aim is
to inform you about the current situation in that problematic and widely
discussed area.
Kosovo is a province in southern Serbia. It borders Montenegro, Albania
and the Republic
of Macedonia. It is a
very mountainous province. Its capital and largest city is Priština. Kosovo has
a population of around two million people, predominately ethnic Albanians, with
smaller populations of Serbs, Turks, Bosniaks and other ethnic groups.
When we think about the recent history of Kosovo we cannot avoid
mentioning the Kosovo war. This term is often used to describe two
sequential armed conflicts in Kosovo. The first one took place in 1996–1999. It
was a conflict between Serbian and Yugoslav security forces and the Kosovo
Liberation Army which is an ethnic Albanian guerilla group seeking independence
for the province. The second war took place in 1999. It was a conflict between Yugoslavia
and the North Atlantic Treaty during which NATO attacked Yugoslav targets. At
the same time Albanian guerillas continued battles with Yugoslav forces, and
there was a massive displacement of population in Kosovo. Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want to talk
about the atrocities of this war because I am sure you are well acquainted with
that subject so I would like to continue with more pleasant events.
As you know Kosovo has been under United Nations administration
since 1999. The province is now governed by the United Nations Mission in
Kosovo (UNMIK) and the local Provisional Institutions of Self-Government, with
security provided by the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR).
In 2006, international negotiations began to determine the final status
of Kosovo. On February 2, 2007, UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari delivered to Belgrade and Priština
leaders a draft status settlement proposal. The proposal covered a wide range
of issues related to Kosovo's future, in particular measures to protect
Kosovo's non-Albanian communities. The draft settlement did not mention the
word independence. However, it included several provisions that were widely interpreted
as implying statehood for Kosovo. In particular, the draft settlement would give Kosovo the
right to apply for membership in international organizations, create a Kosovo
Security Force and adopt national symbols. It also mentions a formation of an
International Civilian Office (ICO) which would include participation from many
states, notably EU members and the United States. When Ahtisaari came
to Belgrade
last week, president Vojislav Koštunica refused to meet him. He said he can not
do that since Serbia
had still not formed a new government after the January 21 parliamentary
elections and he had no mandate to discuss Kosovo. Nevertheless, he later
denounced the proposal as illegitimate because according to him it violates the
U.N. Charter by undermining sovereignty of U.N. member Serbia. President Boris Tadič
did receive Ahtisaari, and after the talks he reaffirmed his vow to never
accept an independent Kosovo. Let us look now the reactions of Priština.
Ahtisaari met with Kosovo Albanians leaders. They later on issued a statement in
which they said that they are convinced that the international process for the
resolution of Kosovo's status led will be concluded soon with Kosovo becoming
an independent state.
So what will happen in future? Martti Ahtisaari will now carry out several
consultations with the parties in Vienna
to finalize the settlement. He made clear that his proposal was a draft and
that he would incorporate compromise solutions into the final document. Most
international observers believe these negotiations will lead to Kosovo's
independence, although with some limitations or conditions placed on the
exercise of its sovereignty. Ahtisaari will present his final recommendation to the UN
Security Council, which may then adopt a new Security Council Resolution that
will supersede United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. He said he
hopes to complete that task by late March.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by saying that we should all hope
that this story will have a happy ending and that all the hard work done by the
international community will be awarded.
Thank you.