Stalemate in Kosovo Talks

Serbia on Wednesday again rejected a United Nations plan for independence for its breakaway Kosovo province as a final round of talks on the blueprint began. UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari's Kosovo plan, published on February 2, would give Kosovo all the trappings of statehood -- self-government, its own flag and anthem, and membership in international organizations. It stops short of granting full independence.

Under the envoy's plan, Kosovo's government would be overseen by a new European Union-led mission which would take over from the UN, which has administered the province since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999.

As a final round of talks, expected to last into March, got underway in Vienna on the UN blueprint, DW-WORLD.DE spoke with Fatmir Sejdiu, President of Kosovo, about the fate of the region.

DW-WORLD.DE: Mr. President, violence has increased in Kosovo this month. Two people were killed on February 10 during outbreaks. This week, there was a bomb attack on United Nations vehicles in Pristina. Are the negotiations failing?

Fatmir Sejdiu: These developments are not helping the situation in Kosovo -- it's been a dark day for Kosovo since the outbursts occurred. They have been violent protests and it was absolutely unnecessary for those two people to die.

Not only do the deaths mean a major loss for the families. The severity of the attacks has a very negative effect on Kosovo's prospects. It damages the political processes.

Of course, everyone has the right to protest and express his or her opinions, but it's essential that this occurs within the framework of the law.

I believe Kosovo's negotiating group has done its job. We have clearly represented Kosovo's interests at all of the meetings in Vienna, and it's true that we have reached a consensus in all of our decisions. This shows that we have represented the absolute majority of Kosovo's population and its institutions.

Before the talks in Vienna began, Kosovo's negotiating group presented a list of contentious points. Do you believe that UN special envoy Ahtisaari's scheme can still be altered during the negotiations?

Perhaps. There surely won't be any more major changes, but it could be that arguments we have presented will be integrated in some way. We'll have to wait and see. However, we do not want to start debating Ahtisaari's recommendations all over again. That would just mean an endless round of discussions which wouldn't go anywhere, other than putting Kosovo at further risk. It would jeopardize its future.

I would like to point out that it's essential that the UN Security Council keep track of this process; it's that group which will hear the recommendations for the future of Kosovo. The political formulations and Kosovo's independence are central here.

The Serbian negotiating delegation has demanded that Ahtisaari's plan be divided into technical and political sections. What's your opinion on that?

I think Belgrade's interest during the discussions in Vienna is prolonging them as much as possible, thereby discrediting them. That would increase the tensions in Kosovo -- with the aim of trying to show that Kosovo is not yet ready for independence, that it's unstable, that it offers no prospects for its citizens, and especially, for its Serbian citizens.

Ahtisaari himself said two-thirds of his recommendations address the safety of Serbs in Kosovo alone. Serbs in Kosovo, for their part, say Ahtisaari's plan is unfair because it treats all minorities in the region alike. That would mean that the Serbs -- the largest minority in Kosovo -- should have more rights than, say, the Roma or Ashkali groups.

It certainly is a major boost for the Serbian minority in Kosovo that Ahtisaari has addressed the situation of their equality to such an extent. Of course, other minorities have also demanded the same rights as the Serbian minority, although Kosovo's institutions have integrated these into their democratic processes. That is why those parts of the plan addressing the safety of the Serbian minority are based on international norms and standards. There are even aspects which go well beyond normal international standards.

Bekim Shehu interviewed Fatmir Sejdiu (als)