EU: 'zonder oplossing status Kosovo dreigt chaos op Balkan' (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Balkans could plunge into chaos unless there is a prompt United Nations agreement on the final status of Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo, EU enlargement commissionerOlli Rehn has warned.

"If the UN Security council fails to pass a resolution, there will be political instability and even chaos," Olli Rehn said on Wednesday (21 March), urging Russia - the strongest UN opponent of Kosovo being granted sovereignty without Serb agreement - not to adopt a unilateralist stance.

"Kosovo is a real litmus test for the international multilateralism in the UN," Mr Rehn said, adding "it would be Europe paying the price [in case of a failure], not Russia, not the United States."

"The legal limbo is not bearable anymore", he stated.

Speaking to the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, Olli Rehn also called for unity among EU member states, saying that divisions would be a sure recipe for losing influence over the disputed region's future.

Mr Rehn's appeal comes one week before UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari is expected to hand his final recommendations for the compromise settlement over to the UN Security Council, a body entitled to carry the ultimate decision.

Mr Ahtisaari's draft report - unveiled in February - effectively puts the territory of 2 million people, mostly ethnic Albanians, on a path towards internationally supervised statehood with elements of independence, such as a flag, anthem, constitution and army.

According to the commissioner, the compromise proposal is "realistic, given the parties' irreconcilable positions on Kosovo's status."

However, when asked if he would use either the term "independence" or "supervised sovereignty" for Kosovo's final status, he declined to do so, saying "the EU should not hasten to any comments potentially adding problems."

Meanwhile, in Belgrade, Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica accused the UN's special envoy Martti Ahtisaari of making "an illegal and illegitimate proposal which breaches the UN charter and Serbian consitution," Balkans agency DTT.NET.COM reported.

Mr Kostunica urged the UN to resume talks between Belgrade and Pristina in order to find a "Kosovo within Serbia" compromise.

But there has been no appetite for such a scenario elsewhere, as France - siding with the UK and the US - ditched a similar request from Russia calling a new round of talks under another UN envoy which would mean the firing of Mr Ahtisaari.

Diplomatic sources in Paris told Balkans news agency DTT-NET.COM "In the absence of an agreement, the project for the status prepared by Martti Ahtisaari seems to us the only solution for Kosovo."

They added "it represents a balanced solution reconciling aspirations of Kosovo's majority population and offering serious guarantees for minorities, including the Serbian community, for living in peace and security, and also through an international civilian and military presence."

Commenting on the Russian position while visiting Brussels on Tuesday, US senior diplomat David Kramer said "Our goal would be to have Russian support as we move forward on Kosovo. At the same time, we would not rule out the possibility of a [Russian] veto."

"The Russian position as stated so far is, they will not be more Serbian than the Serbs" he added, on Russian comments they would back any Kosovo solution supported by Belgrade. "What we are trying to do is in the interests of everyone, sensitive though it may be."