Leavenworth Strategist

Serbia ‘seeks deal’ over EU Kosovo mission

BalkanInsight.com

Serbia’s President Boris Tadic says a compromise with Brussels is possible over the deployment of the European Union’s new law-and-order mission to Kosovo. Tadic said Belgrade wants to find a compromise to the deployment of the 2200-strong European Union mission to Kosovo, known as EULEX, but with the blessing of the United Nations Security Council.

European Union Pledges $789 Million at Kosovo Donors' Conference

By VOA News
11 July 2008

The European Union has pledged $789 million at a donors conference to help newly independent Kosovo.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn says the bloc is committed to meeting the needs of Kosovo, which he called a "profoundly European" matter.

A top U.S. aid official, Henrietta Fore, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, has said the United States will donate $400 million at the conference.

Analysis: Kosovo's Rocky Road To Statehood

By RFE/RL analyst Patrick Moore

Independent Kosovo's first constitution came into force on June 15. Although problems continue to dog the new country's transition from a UN protectorate to a fully independent state, those difficulties are largely not of Kosovo's own making.

The low-key ceremony in Pristina on June 15 was typical of the political developments among the Kosovar Albanians since independence was declared on February 17, in that all involved seemed to know what was expected of them, and events proceeded fairly smoothly.

At the June 15 gathering, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said that "today the dream of the people of the Republic of Kosovo has come true." President Fatmir Sejdiu announced that "this is a historic moment for Kosovo -- the approval of Kosovo's constitution...and its entering into force. This completes the state-building [process] for Kosova." He added that the new measures constitute "the very important message to the international community and the European Union that Kosovo is a democratic country that has accepted the highest international [standards] and will continue to do so."

Russia, Serbia Oppose UN Chief's Plan to Diminish UN's Kosovo Presence

By Margaret Besheer (VOA)
United Nations
20 June 2008

Divisions within the U.N. Security Council on the subject of Kosovo were apparent yet again on Friday, when the secretary-general spoke about his plan to transfer some responsibilities from the U.N. mission in Pristina to the European Union. Serbia, and its powerful ally Russia, have rejected the U.N. chief's plan, but the United States, Britain and France support it. From United Nation's headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council that following Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in February and the entry into force last Sunday of its constitution, the U.N. mission's ability to operate there has come into serious question. The mission is known by its acronym UNMIK.

Italian diplomat to take over U.N. Kosovo mission

By Matt Robinson

PRISTINA (Reuters) - The United Nations is expected to name Italian diplomat Lamberto Zannier this week as the new head of its Kosovo mission, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday.

Zannier takes over from German diplomat Joachim Ruecker as part of a planned "reconfiguration" of the mission after Kosovo Albanians declared independence from Serbia in February and won recognition from major Western powers. Russia opposes secession.

"The appointment should be made this week," a senior U.N. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "The planned arrival is on Friday."

Zannier is a career diplomat and former director of the OSCE's Conflict Prevention Centre in Vienna.

New mission for British troops in Kosovo

Richard Norton-Taylor (The Guardian)
Britain is to deploy hundreds of troops to Kosovo in a move likely to revive claims that the government is demanding too much from its armed forces.

Senior military and defence officials have agreed to a request from Nato to send a battlegroup based on 2 Rifles, a light infantry battalion of about 600 soldiers, to help maintain "public order" in the newly independent Balkan state, the Guardian has learned.

[US] National Guard Troops Vigilant in Kosovo’s Transition to Nationhood

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
Special to American Forces Press Service

The governors of Iowa and Minnesota, whose National Guard troops are deployed here, toured this Delaware-sized new nation April 11-13, joined by Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, and other senior military officials.
...“The National Guard’s contribution has been a critical part of NATO’s Kosovo Force, maintaining the peace between the Albanians and the Serbians, and it’s pretty clear that peace would not exist but for the presence of American troops,” said Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, chairman of the National Governors Association. “If Kosovo’s destabilized, it destabilizes an entire region, and that really begins to impact what our future obligations and dangers are going to be for the United States in this volatile part of Europe and our interests abroad elsewhere.”

Serbia plans to hold elections in Kosovo despite UN objections

The Associated Press (April 14, 2008)

BELGRADE, Serbia: Serbia plans to hold local elections in Kosovo in May, according to a government decree published Monday, defying U.N. objections.

U.N. officials in Kosovo have told Serbia it cannot hold the vote because it would breach the U.N. mandate for Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February.

Russian envoy criticizes U.N. chief over Kosovo

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia's U.N. envoy said on Monday that Moscow was not fully satisfied with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's stance on Kosovo but dismissed reports that his country had threatened to block Ban's re-election.

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin was asked by reporters if Moscow was happy with the actions and statements of the U.N. secretary-general regarding Kosovo, which was a Serbian province until it declared independence in February.

"No, we are not entirely happy," he said. "But we think that ... the secretary-general is subjected to all sorts of influences and has to take into account positions of various actors in this situation."

Ban has been cautious to avoid any public statements that could be interpreted as supporting either side in the dispute over Kosovo.

UN police to return to conflict-hit N. Kosovo city

BELGRADE, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - United Nations police will return to Mitrovica in north Kosovo on Wednesday, a day after a Ukrainian peacekeeper died following a clash with rioters, a UN spokesman said.

The violence in the Serb-dominated area of Mitrovica began when UN police and NATO-led KFOR troops launched an operation on Monday morning to regain control of a UN court building seized last week by ethnic Serbs.

Alexander Ivanko, a spokesman for the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), said the situation is now under control, and that UNMIK police forces are ready to return after Monday's withdrawal. KFOR forces have remained in the city.

Serbia Calls for UN to Keep Administering Kosovo

By Margaret Besheer (VOA)
United Nations
11 March 2008

Serbia's foreign minister says the responsibilities of the U.N. mission in Kosovo must not be transferred to any other organization, such as the European Union. He also told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that Belgrade would not accept Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence and urged countries that have recognized the breakaway province to reconsider their decision.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told the Security Council that resolution 1,244, which placed Kosovo under U.N. administration in 1999, must be respected. He also insisted that there be no change to the mandate of the U.N. mission in Kosovo, known as UNMIK.

"Resolution 1,244 must be observed in full. This is the only way to prevent a further deterioration of the situation on the ground. There must be no erosion of UNMIK's clearly defined mandate by the Security Council. Therefore, we strongly demand that no further transfer of competencies from UNMIK to any other body take place," he said.

U.N. tells Serbia to quit interfering in Kosovo

By Matt Robinson

PRISTINA (Reuters) - U.N. authorities in Kosovo told Serbia on Wednesday to stop interfering in Serb areas of the new state, where a Serb boycott has fuelled speculation Belgrade is trying to partition the territory.

The U.N. mission called on Serbia to respect its mandate in the former Serbian province, where the 90-percent Albanian majority declared independence with Western-backing last month.

It said Serbia should cooperate in re-establishing customs points on Kosovo's northern border, which were burned down by Serb mobs, allow Serb police officers to return to work and stop strengthening Belgrade-financed "parallel structures" in health, education, courts and administration.

"If Belgrade says publicly that (U.N. Security Council Resolution) 1244 should be respected, we expect them to put their money where their mouth is," U.N. mission spokesman Alexander Ivanko told a news conference.

"We are trying to re-establish the courts, we are trying to re-establish the customs," he said. "This will take time, it will not happen tomorrow."

Saying 'No' to Kosovo independence

BBC- Four EU countries, Romania, Cyprus, Slovakia and Spain, have refused to recognise Kosovo as an independent state.

Slovakia has said it may never recognise Kosovo, mindful of its own heavy loss of territory to Hungary and Germany in 1938-39.

Greek Cypriots fear independence for Kosovo could act as a precedent for Turkish Northern Cyprus.

Spain is concerned with separatists in the Basque region and other areas - Catalonia, Valencia and Galicia - are pushing for further autonomy.

Romania is concerned about pro-Russian separatists in neighbouring Moldova and has its own large ethnic Hungarian minority.

Germany to send more troops to Kosovo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is to send more troops to Kosovo after turbulence following the province's declaration of independence from Serbia, an army source said on Friday.

Germany would send the extra troops from Bavaria in the next few days as part of a training exercise but the transfer was also meant to demonstrate the force's strength in the context of recent violence, the source said.

Germany has more than 2,000 troops in Kosovo which are part of the 16,000-plus NATO-led KFOR security force.

EU Launches Kosovo Mission Amid Tensions

By Stefan Bos (VOA) Budapest, 20 February 2008

The European Union has begun setting up its 2,000-member police and judicial mission in Kosovo, to oversee the region's independence. But as Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest, the operation will need support of NATO-led peacekeepers, following attacks by Serbs opposing Kosovo's breakaway from Serbia.

European Union envoy Pieter Feith, who heads the EU international civilian mission, officially opened his office after talks with Kosovo's government in the capital, Pristina.

Feith says about 2,000 police and judicial experts under his leadership will help Kosovo to function as an independent democratic state, with a fair judiciary and respect for minority rights.

US pulls non-essential staff out of Belgrade

Times Online-

The US is to withdraw all non-essential staff and their families from Serbia amid growing anti-Western violence prompted by Kosovo's declaration of independence at the weekend.

After a riotous mob in the capital Belgrade forced their way into the American embassy and torched it last night - as well as vandalising the British, German, Croatian and Turkish embassies - Cameron Munter, the American ambassador, said the US would carry out an "ordered departure" of non-core personnel.

Kosovo Declares Independence

Serbia denounces declaration; Russia seeks U.N. Security Council action

The Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo - Revelers fired guns in the air, waved red-and-black Albanian flags and set off fireworks in the skies over Kosovo Sunday after parliament proclaimed independence, defying Serbia and Russia, which condemned the declaration of the world's newest nation.

A decade after a bloody separatist war with Serbian forces that claimed 10,000 lives, lawmakers pronounced the territory the Republic of Kosovo and pledged to make it a "democratic, multiethnic state." Its leaders looked for swift recognition from the U.S. and key European powers — but also braced for a bitter showdown.

Serbia called the declaration illegal and its ally Russia denounced it, saying it threatened to touch off a new conflict in the Balkans. Russia called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, which met later on Sunday.

Kosovo-an EU protectorate?

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS –According to Gerald Knaus, chairman of the European Stability Initiative – a non-profit policy institute known for its analyses and research work on South East Europe, the EU's mission is flawed.

Blind implementation of Mr Ahtisaari plan together with the presence of the EU mission could eventually result in Kosovo becoming a "failed EU protectorate", Mr Knaus argued at a conference organised by the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies on Monday (11 February).

The EU mission will have the power to reverse operational decisions taken by the local authorities and to assume other responsibilities independently or in support of the Kosovo authorities, the researcher explained.

In the end, the mission "can basically do what it defines is needed in terms of defending the rule of law in its own understanding," he said.

It is also unclear at this stage how long its mandate would last, as it is has not been agreed what the length of mandate should be based upon.

Ultimately, between the EU mission and the International Civilian Office foreseen by the Ahtisaari plan, which would dispose of important executive powers, "post-status Kosovo will not be independent in any sense," Mr Knaus argued.

"International officials are there to stay in the long term," he said, adding that the whole situation is unlikely to be beneficial for Kosovo's weak economy.

It will be up to the EU - which "is going to be responsible, it's assuming an immense amount of executive authority, it is going to be the real authority in this society in term of its powers" – to prevent Kosovo from becoming "one of the most isolated places in the world," the analyst concluded.

Kosovo tries to launch independence softly

Despite Serbia's ire, province may declare independence as soon as Sunday.

By Robert Marquand | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Pristina, Kosovo

Albanians here have craved independence for nine long years of loud tearoom debates. Now with a declaration expected as soon as Sunday, Kosovo officials hope independence from Serbia will be so quiet it will scarcely be noticed.

The hallmark phrase repeated by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci to local mayors all week is "independence with dignity." This means no bacchanalian outbursts, no in-your-face waving of Albanian flags around Serb enclaves, no mass rallies – nothing to provoke the incidents that officials here think Belgrade would like to see.

Popular expectations in the breakaway province are being scaled back by officials – that independence can magically solve all the difficulties of this sensitive Balkan flash point that has been overseen by the United Nations since 1999.

"We want to be a peaceful nation joining Europe, and we want that from the start," says Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti. "A crisis is not in our interest."

Kosovo: EU Approves Mission As Independence Declaration Nears

(RFE) The European Union has given approval for the deployment of a policing and administrative mission to Kosovo, which will take over the duties now performed by UN officials.

The EU mission consists of about 2,000 personnel who will assist the breakaway Serbian province during its transition to full independence. Exactly when the mission will start work is not clear, but it is expected to be in place when Kosovo declares independence.

The mission won approval from member states in Brussels on February 4 and is ready to be deployed. When it does move, that will be a sign that Kosovo's declaration of independence is imminent.

No violence expected in Kosovo says EU official

© 2008 Deutsche Welle

The European Union does not expect Serbia to resort to violence if ethnic Albanians declare independence. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's external relations commissioner said, however, there was concern for the future of minority Serbs in Kosovo. Speaking at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe headquarters in Vienna, Ferrero-Waldner that the EU did not foresee violence or any extreme actions by Serbia. The OSCE has played a central role in fostering democratic institutions and practices in Kosovo since 1999 when NATO forced Serbian forces out of the province, ending a brutal crackdown on Albanians.

EU: Chad on, Kosovo delayed

By Toby Vogel (European Voice.Com)

The foreign ministers of the EU will formally launch the EU’s much-delayed peacekeeping mission to Chad when they meet in Brussels next Monday (28 January), but defer a similar decision on a civilian security mission in Kosovo, according to diplomats.

Kosovo to declare independence soon

Deutsche Welle: DW-WORLD.DE

The leader of Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian majority says the Serbian province will likely declare independence in the next few days. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci made the statement following a meeting with the European Union's foreign policy co-ordinator, Javier Solana, in Brussels. The plan has the support of the United States and most of the EU's 27 member states. But Belgrade, backed by Russia, has said that it could never accept losing Kosovo, which has been administered by the United Nations since 1999. That's when a NATO bombing campaign ended a bloody conflict between Serbian government forces and ethnic-Albanian fighters.

Rice urges Europe to move on Kosovo

23.01.2008 - 09:24 CET | By Lucia Kubosova (EU Observer)
US state secretary Condoleezza Rice has warned Europe against further delays in resolving the status of Kosovo.

"There is some danger in continuing to wait for what needs to be done," Ms Rice told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday (22 January) after meeting EU representatives for consultations over the next move on the future of the south Serbian province.

"I don't think we have a gap with Europe on Kosovo. What we are really now trying to do is to see if there is anything more that can be done to smooth the transition," she said, according to AFP news agency.

Putin Warns Against Unilateral Declaration of Kosovo Independence

By VOA News, 18 January 2008

Russian President Vladimir Putin has again expressed opposition to a unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence.

The Russian leader told reporters in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, international recognition of such a move would be illegal and immoral.

Whither Kosovo’s future

German Marshall Fund of the United States

WASHINGTON — While capitals are awaiting the results of the international Troika of mediators and facing upcoming choices about next steps in the unresolved dispute over Kosovo’s legal status in the coming weeks and months, Kosovo’s interim government came due for their 4-year elections. In the midst of uncertainty about statehood, Kosovo’s political leaders were put to the vote and a new combination of personalities was selected to govern.

Unfortunately, participation was quite low (only 45%) and key groups such as the Kosovo Serbs largely boycotted. But the results were enough to usher in a new leadership, and to trigger a coalition-building exercise within Kosovo’s political elite. Of course the electoral results will have a direct impact on the daily lives of Kosovars for the next four years, as offices change hands into a government led by the party of the opposition since 2003 (the PDK). New leaders will have responsibility to continue the growth of functioning institutions, to build a government representative of and responding to its people, and to face a number of unresolved social and economic challenges (including an ominous unemployment rate of up to 60%).

Serb PM tells EU to choose between Serbia and Kosovo

By Ellie Tzortzi
Reuters

Thursday, January 3, 2008

BELGRADE: The European Union must choose between signing an accord with Serbia or deploying a mission to Kosovo as a prelude to an independence declaration by the breakaway province, Serbia's prime minister said on Thursday.

In a written statement, Vojislav Kostunica said that when EU foreign ministers met on January 28, the bloc would have to choose "whether it wants a whole... Serbia as a partner, or it wants to create a 'quasi state' on Serb territory".

"The EU must choose... whether it will sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia or, under United States pressure, send a mission to implement (a plan for) supervised independence of Kosovo, snatching part of Serbia's territory."

EU urges Kosovo not to rush towards independence

Mon Nov 19, 2007

By Mark John BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union countries urged the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo on Monday not to rush into a declaration of independence, but seek consensus in the international community. Former guerrilla Hashim Thaci, expected to become prime minister of the majority ethnic Albanian province after Saturday elections, said parliament would declare independence after a December 10 deadline for international mediation efforts. The United States firmly backs independence for Kosovo, a move that Russia has blocked in the U.N. Security Council. The EU is divided, but British Europe Minister Jim Murphy said after talks among EU ministers that "well above 20" EU states supported recognizing Kosovo's independence.

Kosovo ready to proclaim independence

ROME/BRUSSELS, December 14 (RIA Novosti) - Kosovo is ready to declare unilateral independence, but will coordinate its moves with the U.S. and the EU, the leader of the province's Democratic Party said on Friday.

Former rebel leader Hashim Thaci, who has vowed to declare independence in Kosovo, won parliamentary elections in the predominantly Albanian province on November 17, which was boycotted by the ethnic Serb population (around 6%).

"Yes, we will proclaim the province's independence, even unilaterally. When? Kosovo is ready [to do that] even today. Tomorrow may be too late. But we will seek to coordinate everything with Washington and Brussels," he told Italy's Corriere della Sera.

Asked about the future of the Serb minority, Thaci vowed to ensure their security: "Kosovo will be a country not only of Albanians, but of all citizens," he said.

EU Leaders Agree to Send Civilian Mission to Kosovo

By VOA News
14 December 2007

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says European Union leaders have agreed in principle to send a policing and security mission to Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province.

The French leader made his comments at the conclusion of a one-day EU summit in Brussels focusing on efforts to find a unified position on the Kosovo issue.

EU members including Greece, Spain and Slovakia have been reluctant to fully embrace the demands of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority for independence, expressing concern that it could spark separatist movements elsewhere.

Serbian authorities have offered the province wide autonomy, but insist on maintaining sovereignty over the area. Kosovo Albanians maintain their demands for full independence.

E.U. Pledges Assistance to Kosovo on Path Toward Independence

By John Ward Anderson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, December 15, 2007; A17

PARIS, Dec. 14 -- European Union leaders on Friday pledged 1,800 police and administrative officials to Kosovo, part of a package of aid and diplomacy intended to facilitate a well-choreographed, quick and peaceful march to independence for the breakaway Serbian province.

The E.U. government heads, meeting at a summit in Brussels, stopped short of pledging to recognize Kosovo if its leaders declare independence, fearing that such a declaration and an endorsement by the 27-nation bloc could provoke a nationalist backlash in Serbia ahead of elections early next year. Some analysts have warned that ethnic violence might resume.

Rehn: EU to Postpone Decision on Kosovo Until Early 2008

By VOA News
13 December 2007

A top European Union official says a decision on the future status of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province will come only in the first half of next year.

EU Expansion Commissioner Olli Rehn Thursday told Finnish daily, Uutispaiva Demari that a solution must be found because the current situation is not sustainable. He said the process will take time.

EU member states are also divided on Kosovo's future status. Britain, Germany, France have supported Kosovo's independence. Greece, Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus and Romania have expressed reservations.

(Bosnian) Security: Fears of a Kosovo effect

By Christian Jennings (Financial Times)

Published: December 11 2007

Hans-Jochen Witthauer, the German Rear-Admiral who until this month commanded the European Union’s peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, does not share the view that violence will return to the country.

Such fears of renewed conflict, however ill-informed or unfounded, reached their highest intensity a few weeks ago.

The multinational force of 2,500 troops under EU command, known as EUFor, keeps watch over the ethnically-divided state from Camp Butmir. The base, on the outskirts of Sarajevo, straddles the boundary between the two entities recognised under the 1995 Dayton peace treaty.

The current force is the successor to some 60,000 Nato-led troops around the country immediately following the war. The sharp reduction in troop numbers is a sign of success in the 12 years of peace, Rear-Admiral Witthauer says.

The German naval officer is not alone in this confidence. Milorad Dodik, prime minister of the Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, when asked whether there would be another war, says simply “no”.

EU has "virtual unity" on Kosovo: Sweden's Bildt

Mon Dec 10, 2007

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - All but one of the European Union's 27 member states are ready to accept independence for the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo without a U.N. resolution, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Monday.

"There is virtual unity on Kosovo," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt told reporters ahead of talks in Brussels after a December 10 date deadline set by Western powers for international mediation efforts expired.

He did not name the member state which still wanted a U.N. Security Council resolution before accepting a declaration by ethnic Kosovo Albanian leaders expected within weeks. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said Cyprus was alone in having "an enormous problem" in backing Kosovo independence.

Turkey responds to EU's criticism over ESDP row

Wednesday, December 5, 2007
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

  Turkey responded late Monday the European Union's criticism over its blockage to NATO-European Union defense cooperation and pointed to a deal reached between the parties in 2002 that excludes Greek Cyprus from multinational military operations in which NATO is involved.

   “It should be noted that the Agreed Framework stipulates that only the EU member states which are also either NATO members or parties to the ‘Partnership for Peace,' and which have consequently concluded bilateral security agreements with NATO, can participate in this kind of a cooperation,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement, apparently in reference to EU Commissioner for Enlargment Olli Rehn's remarks last week advising Turkey to let Greek Cyprus join the Kosovo mission.

NATO nations pledge tough force for Kosovo

Fri Dec 7, 2007 12:49pm EST
By Mark John and David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO nations pledged on Friday to provide enough troops to put down any violence as Kosovo heads towards a declaration of independence from Serbia, expected within weeks.

Britain, France, Germany and Italy urged fellow EU states in a letter to accept that negotiations on Kosovo's future had been exhausted and that the time had come to settle its status -- without United Nations backing, if necessary.

In a separate move that drew immediate fire from Russia, NATO countries agreed that their 16,000 KFOR peacekeepers could stay in Kosovo on the basis of their existing U.N. mandate, even after independence.

"KFOR shall remain in Kosovo on the basis of U.N. Security Council resolution 1244, unless the Security Council decides otherwise," NATO ministers said in a final communique.

"We renew our commitment to maintain KFOR's national force, contributions, including reserves, at current levels and with no new caveats," they added, using the military term for limits that nations sometimes impose on what their troops can do.

Kosovo troika set to report ahead of schedule

RIA Novosti

06/12/2007 11:22 UN, December 6 (RIA Novosti) - The UN secretary general said on Thursday that international mediators in talks on Kosovo would submit a report on talks on the province's status on Friday, three days ahead of schedule.

The Contact Group troika of mediators - Russia, the United States and the European Union - concluded months of talks last week, and was due to report to Ban Ki-moon on negotiations geared towards a compromise between Belgrade and Pristina on December 10, a deadline set by the UN.

The secretary general said that rescheduling the report was not politically motivated, but due to his upcoming trip to an international global climate conference in Bali.

EU representative Wolfgang Ischinger told a news conference on Monday that the report would state that Belgrade and Pristina had failed to reach a compromise on the status for the Albanian-dominated province. The document will also list the proposals made by both the Serbian delegation and Kosovo Albanians.

Kosovo backers seek tough NATO security pledge

By Mark John Wed Dec 5, 7:10 AM ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States and other backers of Kosovo's drive for independence will seek a firm pledge from NATO allies on Friday to maintain peacekeeping troops at current levels and deal robustly with any violence.

Ethnic Albanian leaders of the breakaway Serbian province are expected to declare independence in the next couple of months after the failure of international mediation, potentially sparking fresh unrest in the Balkans.

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels will be asked to confirm they will not lay down limits on how the alliance's 16,000-strong KFOR peace force deal with violence as they did when riots in 2004 caught NATO off-guard.

NATO Foreign Ministers to meet in Brussels

Meeting in the regular session of the North Atlantic Council, in Brussels on 7 December, Allied Ministers of Foreign Affairs will discuss the situation in Afghanistan, including its political and military dimension. They are also expected to consult on Kosovo, as well as on the broader region of Western Balkans.

Moreover, they will exchange views on the enlargement process and other topics relevant for the agenda of the 2008 Bucharest Summit.

US, French Units Move to Prevent Violence in Kosovo

By Al Pessin (VOA)
Washington
04 December 2007

The commander of NATO forces says U.S. and French units have been moved to a key outpost in Kosovo to help prevent violence in what he calls the "most volatile" region the alliance is dealing with. But the officer, U.S. General Bantz Craddock, also says community leaders in Kosovo are helping in the effort to avoid violence when the deadline for negotiations on the province's future passes next Monday. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Washington.

General Craddock told reporters at the National Press Club the American and French units have moved to Camp Nothing Hill in northern Kosovo, just 17 kilometers from the Serbian border. The general says those units should be "a very stabilizing factor," but he is also prepared to send additional forces to Kosovo, if necessary.

"There will be those who want to create mischief, and that will be manifested as strife and potentially violence, in Kosovo. There will be, then, those who will respond to that, against the advice of, I think, calmer heads to not respond," he said.

General Craddock says community leaders in Kosovo want to avoid violence.

"My conversations with the leaders in Kosovo tell me that they are sincere. They sincerely want to avoid violence, and they will work diligently to preclude it," he said.

The NATO commander also expressed concern that if the political situation changes in Kosovo the United Nations mandate for the NATO-led force there might no longer be valid. There is some concern that if Kosovo's government declares independence, it could not only spark violence, but it might put the status force, known as K-FOR, in some doubt.

"We can conceive of circumstances whereby an adjusted political landscape could pose questions that would have to be raised to the political level urgently, in order to get the necessary guidance for commanders to respond. We at allied command headquarters, my headquarters and K-FOR, are looking to the North Atlantic Council to make decisions and give us the authority, if you will, again, in this very complex, nuanced situation," he said.

The K-FOR commander made a similar appeal last week.

General Craddock says the force has extensive plans for nearly any sequence of events, and has rehearsed its responses to various scenarios. He said he is concerned about paramilitary groups in Serbia that are reportedly preparing for violence, but he says there is good cooperation between the NATO-led force and the Serbian military.

"Thessaloniki 2": European Incentives for the Western Balkans

From: Atlantic Community at http://atlantic-community.org/index/articles/view/%22Thessaloniki_2%22%3A_European_Incentives_for_the_Western_Balkans

Alexandros P. Mallias, Ambassador of Greece to the United States, argues that a clear prospect of EU membership is the most effective tool in helping countries of the western Balkans overcome their current challenges. Mallias presents a new strategic agenda for the western Balkans building on the Thessaloniki Agenda of 2003, which enriched the Stablization and Association Process of 1999 through inclusion of elements inspired by the EU enlargement process.

U.S. peacekeepers deploy in Kosovo amid warnings of tough times ahead

The Associated Press Thursday, November 29, 2007

LEPOSAVIC, Serbia: U.S. peacekeepers deployed to Kosovo's tense north Wednesday, a day after talks between Serbia and the southern province's ethnic Albanians failed to resolve their dispute over the territory, stoking fears of renewed violence. About 90 soldiers, all members of the National Guard from the U.S. state of Iowa, joined French peacekeepers at NATO's Camp Nothing Hill in a part of Kosovo that is dominated by members of the province's Serb minority. Most of Kosovo's people are ethnic Albanians.

NATO Chief visits Kosovo

On 30 November 2007, NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer paid a short visit to Kosovo and met first with COMKFOR, General Xavier de Marnhac to assess the security environment.

The briefing confirmed that KFOR has the forces and planning in place to continue to ensure peace and security, as the status process led by the Troika nears its conclusion. The Secretary General also met with members of the Unity Team, as well as with Kosovo Serb leadership.

The Secretary General told all parties that NATO forces would continue to play their role in Kosovo, protecting majority and minority alike. He warned anyone thinking of resorting to violence that they would be met with a stiff response. And he enjoined the parties to continue their dialogue, even as the Troika prepares its report.

UK troops ready for Kosovo crisis

Ian Traynor, Europe editor
Friday November 30, 2007
The Guardian

Britain yesterday offered to be the first Nato country to send extra troops to Kosovo within weeks, as the Conservatives and Balkan experts warned of a potentially violent crisis brewing.

While David Cameron accused the Kremlin of stirring up trouble in the Balkans and warned of a new crisis by Christmas, Gordon Brown's government also risked Russian wrath by issuing a robust statement of support for quick Kosovan independence.

Lord Ashdown, the former international governor of Bosnia, accused the Russians and the Serbian government of fomenting trouble in Bosnia and Kosovo, and demanded troops reinforcements to try to keep the peace. "Unless we get a grip on this situation very fast, the issue of the Balkans will be back on our agenda with a vengeance," Ashdown told the BBC.

EU Can Prevent Versailles Syndrome in Serbia

Elizabeth Pond, author of Endgame in the Balkans, contends that the EU plan for Kosovo’s “supervised independence” will avoid the historical mistakes that could end up fueling Serbian resentment and ultranationalism. Offering eventual European Union membership to Serbia is a prudent step that will encourage Serbian cooperation.

The European Union is right to give Serbia small rewards now—and to withhold big rewards until Serbs begin to emulate the Germans’ post-Nazi evolution. American critics who brand this month’s initialing of a low-level EU-Belgrade agreement as appeasement are wrong. Here’s why.

The EU’s forthcoming assumption of tutelage of Kosovo will be the most ambitious attempt at common European foreign and defense policy to date. What the Europeans are about to do—after almost two years of adamant Serbian refusal to turn today’s de facto United Nations protectorate in Kosovo into a de facto EU protectorate—is to force this change on Belgrade.

The rest is at: http://atlantic-community.org/index/articles/view/EU_Can_Prevent_Versailles_Syndrome_in_Serbia

Russia to "insist" Kosovo talks extended

By Matt Robinson

BADEN, Austria (Reuters) - Russia on Monday stepped in to head off a threatened declaration of independence by Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province, saying it would insist on the extension of negotiations beyond a December deadline.

At the same time, Moscow's envoy to the talks, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, said there was "no chance of a breakthrough" at a final meeting starting at this Austrian spa on Monday afternoon.

Dialogue between Serbia and the Kosovo Albanians had to carry on, he said, two weeks before a U.N. deadline expires on December 10, after which the West says the process is ended.

Back to the Brink In the Balkans

Washington Post
By Richard Holbrooke
Sunday, November 25, 2007; B07

At a most inopportune time, the Balkans are back. On Dec. 10, the U.S.-E.U.-Russian negotiating team tasked with getting the Serbs and Albanians to agree on Kosovo's future status will report to the United Nations that it has failed. A few weeks later Kosovo's government will proclaim that Kosovo is an independent nation -- a long overdue event.

The United States and most of the European Union (led by Britain, France and Germany) will recognize Kosovo quickly. Russia and its allies will not. Kosovo's eight-year run as the biggest-ever U.N. project will end with great tension and a threat of violence that could spread to Bosnia.

EU Warns Kosovo on Separation

New York Times (November 20, 2007)
By DAN BILEFSKY

European Union foreign ministers warned Kosovo against unilaterally declaring its independence, cautioning that such a move could spur the Serbian minority to ally with Belgrade and the Serb half of Bosnia and Herzegovina to push for statehood. The warning came after Hashim Thaci, whose party claimed victory in Saturday’s parliamentary elections, said Kosovo would declare independence after a Dec. 10 deadline. Jean Asselborn, foreign minister of Luxembourg, warned: “There’s a certain explosiveness in this region.”