AP News, February 15th, 2007
The U.N. senior envoy who drafted a roadmap for Kosovo's future said Thursday that the chances of reaching a compromise between Serbia and the province's ethnic Albanian majority on the heart of the plan is "highly unlikely."
In an interview with The Associated Press a day after Serbia's parliament overwhelmingly rejected his plan, Martti Ahtisaari conceded that the rival sides "are rather stuck" on Kosovo's future status. Ethnic Albanians demand outright independence, while Serbia insists that Kosovo remain part of its territory.
"It's highly unlikely that we can move on that issue," he said.
Ahtisaari _ the former Finnish president, who has mediated an end to crises in Africa and Asia _ also called on pro-independence activists to refrain from violence like the bloodshed that marred a rally in the provincial capital, Pristina, where two demonstrators were killed and two others critically injured last week.
"I hope that those who have been planning this will think carefully about what they really want," Ahtisaari told the AP in his office in Vienna. "I hope the people use the right to demonstrate peacefully, but leave the stones and stone-throwing outside the demonstrations."
Ahtisaari's proposal _ which must be approved by the U.N. Security Council to take effect _ envisages internationally supervised self-rule for Kosovo, including a flag, anthem, army, constitution and the right to join international organizations. It also gives minority Serbs more control over their own local governance.
On Wednesday, Serbian lawmakers rejected the plan and adopted a resolution saying Ahtisaari's draft "breaches fundamental principles of international law" and "illegally lays the foundation for the creation of a new independent state on the territory of Serbia."
Ahtisaari said he still holds out hope that the rival sides will be able to reach agreement on other, more technical aspects of his 58-page proposal in negotiations set to resume next week in Vienna. "This is a chance for them to make their points," he said.
But the envoy said he was not surprised at Serbia's fierce opposition to his plan.
"I don't think anybody expected the Serbian parliament to say, 'We welcome the independence of Kosovo,'" he said.
