Kosovo Albanians renew independence vow
Kosovo`s ethnic Albanian leaders renewed their vow Monday to unilaterally declare independence if a final round of internationally brokered negotiations fails to produce a settlement by Dec. 10.
Hashim Thaci, a former ethnic Albanian rebel leader-turned politician, told reporters during a break in talks in Vienna that Kosovo expects "a qualitative acknowledgment of independence" on or shortly after the U.N. deadline.
"We want to be independent, with a seat at the U.N.," said Skender Hyseni, another ethnic Albanian negotiator, adding that he saw no reason to let the process drag on beyond the deadline.
International mediators presented ethnic Albanian negotiators and a rival delegation from Serbia a new set of proposals that the envoys hope will "open a path to a solution."
The 14-point document, a copy of which was obtained Sunday by The Associated Press in Kosovo, does not explicitly mention independence.
But it assures Kosovo`s ethnic Albanian majority that Serbia "will not re-establish a physical presence in Kosovo." The breakaway province has been administered by the U.N. and NATO since 1999, when former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic sent in troops to crush a pro-independence rebellion.
It also says the international community will retain a civilian and military presence in Kosovo even after its status is worked out. About 16,000 NATO-led peacekeepers patrol the province, which formally remains a part of Serbia.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates - acknowledging Kosovo`s uncertain future and the possibility of further unrest - urged NATO to be prepared.
"Nations must plan for what happens after Dec. 10," Gates said Monday during a visit to Ukraine. "I`m asking all nations to keep their forces in KFOR regardless of what happens after Dec. 10," he added, using the acronym for the alliance`s Kosovo force.
Ethnic Albanians demand full independence, while Serbia offers only broad autonomy while insisting the province remain within its borders.
Ethnic Albanians have said that if there is no agreement by Dec. 10 - the envoys` deadline to report back to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - they will unilaterally declare independence for Kosovo.
Although the U.S. strongly supports independence and has signaled it would recognize such a declaration, its European allies have expressed serious misgivings about recognizing any new state if the U.N. Security Council has not done so.
The Serbian delegation was asking the ethnic Albanian team to "refrain" from any post-Dec. 10 unilateral declaration of independence, and was insisting on retaining at least formal sovereignty over the province, Belgrade media reported Monday.
Representatives of the so-called troika - the U.S., Russia and the European Union - have been mediating talks seen as a final attempt at brokering a compromise.
EU representative Wolfgang Ischinger told reporters Monday that the new document was an attempt to shift "away from slogans and into the substance."
"We`ve entered a new phase in our effort toward a possible status solution," he said, but added: "I would be very surprised if it were going to be easy."
A previous attempt to negotiate Kosovo`s final status collapsed earlier this year, when Serbia and Russia rejected a U.N.-brokered plan to grant Kosovo internationally supervised independence.
The 14-point plan being discussed Monday bears a close resemblance to the U.N. plan drafted by special envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
"Without prejudice to the positions of both parties on status, the following principles can open a path to a solution," the new proposal says.
The mediators` document says Belgrade should not hinder Kosovo`s membership in international financial institutions or have a say over its finances.
It calls on Kosovo`s Albanian leadership to implement "broad measures to enhance the welfare" of the province`s minority Serbs, and on both sides to set up common bodies aimed at boosting cooperation.
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