Post by tripwire on Dec 13, 2007 0:41:54 GMT -5
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EU to “acknowledge” Kosovo independence
12 December 2007 | 09:53 -> 13:46 | Source: Beta, Tanjug
BRUSSELS, NICOSIA -- The EU is expected to “acknowledge” Kosovo’s proclamation of independence, according to sources.
However, while the EU will acknowledge that Kosovo has proclaimed independence, it will allow every individual member-state to decide on its own whether to recognize Kosovo’s independence of not, sources from Brussels have told the Beta news agency.
Such a solution for the Kosovo status question was conceived based on the case of Montenegro, which proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2006.
However, officials from the EU Council of Ministers add that it is very important to see what happens within the United Nations Security Council, and that the EU is not close to such a solution as yet.
Besides Cyprus, which adamantly opposes Kosovo independence as a violation of the UN charter, Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Greece may also back Serbia at the EU Foreign Ministers’ summit on Monday.
Spanish Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said that “a unilateral proclamation of independence is not positive for Spain, but it will wait to see what happens.”
He said that Madrid “respects international law and the unity of the EU,” but added that “violating laws has never done any good in history.”
But, if the EU does reach a united stance, the adopted decision would not include the word “independence”, rather each individual member-state would be allowed to recognize Kosovo’s independence at its own discretion.
The Slovenian presidency is expected to schedule an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers in February in order for EU member-states to make their opinions known, with the expectation that “twenty or so countries will quickly recognize Kosovo.”
The United States will do so too, as will some Balkans neighbors and the majority of “Muslim countries.”
However, the whole process could take months, which is why it is important for the EU to begin its mission in Kosovo to maintain the “rule of law,” which would, in a timeframe of 90 to 120 days replace UNMIK, thus beginning limited implementation of Martti Ahtisaari’s internationally-supervised independence plan.
Sources said that while this was a probable scenario, there was a long road ahead because “finding a united stance is still required, which will have to be worked on since the situation is far from clear-cut.”
EU to “acknowledge” Kosovo independence
12 December 2007 | 09:53 -> 13:46 | Source: Beta, Tanjug
BRUSSELS, NICOSIA -- The EU is expected to “acknowledge” Kosovo’s proclamation of independence, according to sources.
However, while the EU will acknowledge that Kosovo has proclaimed independence, it will allow every individual member-state to decide on its own whether to recognize Kosovo’s independence of not, sources from Brussels have told the Beta news agency.
Such a solution for the Kosovo status question was conceived based on the case of Montenegro, which proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2006.
However, officials from the EU Council of Ministers add that it is very important to see what happens within the United Nations Security Council, and that the EU is not close to such a solution as yet.
Besides Cyprus, which adamantly opposes Kosovo independence as a violation of the UN charter, Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Greece may also back Serbia at the EU Foreign Ministers’ summit on Monday.
Spanish Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said that “a unilateral proclamation of independence is not positive for Spain, but it will wait to see what happens.”
He said that Madrid “respects international law and the unity of the EU,” but added that “violating laws has never done any good in history.”
But, if the EU does reach a united stance, the adopted decision would not include the word “independence”, rather each individual member-state would be allowed to recognize Kosovo’s independence at its own discretion.
The Slovenian presidency is expected to schedule an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers in February in order for EU member-states to make their opinions known, with the expectation that “twenty or so countries will quickly recognize Kosovo.”
The United States will do so too, as will some Balkans neighbors and the majority of “Muslim countries.”
However, the whole process could take months, which is why it is important for the EU to begin its mission in Kosovo to maintain the “rule of law,” which would, in a timeframe of 90 to 120 days replace UNMIK, thus beginning limited implementation of Martti Ahtisaari’s internationally-supervised independence plan.
Sources said that while this was a probable scenario, there was a long road ahead because “finding a united stance is still required, which will have to be worked on since the situation is far from clear-cut.”