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http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_world_1_26/09/2008_100794 KATHIMERINI Thaci ire over Serbia’s UN move Kosovo leader blasts Belgrade’s effort to have World Court question legality of province’s independence Reuters Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci speaks during an interview with Reuters in Pristina yesterday. Thaci said Serbia’s push at the UN this week for a World Court review of Kosovo’s legal status could hurt stability in the region. PRISTINA (Reuters) – Serbia’s push at the United Nations this week for a World Court review of Kosovo’s legal status could hurt stability in the Balkans, the prime minister of the former Serbian province said yesterday. Hashim Thaci, a former guerrilla leader of Kosovo’s independence drive, referred to lobbying by Serbian President Boris Tadic and his foreign minister in recent days to slow global recognition of the landlocked Balkan country. At Serbia’s request, the UN General Assembly is pondering whether to ask the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February. A decision could be reached sometime next month. “It is a very bad idea of Serbia,” Thaci told Reuters in an interview. “It does not help... stability in the region.” “I think the government in Belgrade has to prove that it is pro-Western. They need to think more about becoming part of the EU and NATO and not waste time over the Kosovo issue.” Many Serbs consider Kosovo the heart of their nation, and Tadic’s government opposes Kosovo independence even as it seeks closer European Union ties. Many diplomats say the Serbian UN request could slow international recognition of Kosovo, but Thaci disagreed. “We expect that very soon Macedonia and Montenegro will recognize the independence of Kosovo,” he said. “We work very hard for recognition. Until now we have 47 countries that recognize Kosovo’s independence and three countries recognize the Kosovo passport: Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece.” Even now that it has declared independence, Kosovo’s government must work closely with international officials, who are empowered to dismiss the prime minister in extreme instances. Agim Ceku, Thaci’s predecessor as prime minister, said on Wednesday that he often chafed under the oversight. “I was very frustrated,” he said. Thaci took a more diplomatic line. “It is a joy to cooperate with them,” he said with a broad smile. Cooperation clearly has its benefits. Thaci met a World Bank official on Wednesday and said he expected the bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to admit Kosovo by early next year. Kosovo is also seeking foreign investment, and Thaci said to that end he would tackle chronic power shortages, fight crime and corruption and provide transparent goverment. He saw opportunities in energy, tourism, mining and infrastructure. Yet the former rebel leader said some Kosovars had unrealistic expectations following independence. “Independence has opened wide perspectives, but it didn’t bring a miracle,” he said in the interview. “It is good that people have begun to see the reality.” Calm in Kosovo deceptive, think tank warns PRISTINA (AFP) – Kosovo has taken its first steps in state-building but the international community has failed to meet its commitments and prospects for a “partition” of the new state are growing, a report by a prominent think tank said yesterday. The latest International Crisis Group (ICG) report said the independence of Kosovo was supposed to be “supervised,” based on the plan drafted by the UN secretary-general’s special representative, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari. “But supporters have not kept their pledges because of Serbian and Russian opposition, insufficient political will and weak coordination,” the report said. “Major violence has been avoided but the calm is deceptive,” Alexander Anderson, the ICG’s Kosovo project director, said in a statement. The report said that “divisions” between areas populated by the majority Albanian population and the Serb minority – mostly in the north of Kosovo – have “widened.” If such “partition” between two ethnic communities persists, Serbs living outside northern Kosovo “will be at risk, pressure will mount to redraw borders on ethnic lines throughout the states of the former Yugoslavia and EU membership prospects for these countries will fade,” the ICG said. The European Union agreed in February to set up its biggest security and defense policy operation to date, EULEX, but only around 350 of the expected 2,000 staff have so far been deployed. The UN still partially functions as an interim administration, and is negotiating special arrangements for Kosovo Serbs with Belgrade. The ICG said it was “uncertain how the UN will pull out and EULEX deploy in Kosovo Serb areas.” “Kosovo is proving to be a difficult, decisive test for EU security and defense policy, and the political will mustered before February is dissipating,” warned Sabine Freizer, the ICG’s Europe program director. “At a time when the EU is engaged in tough talks with Russia about Georgia, it would be dangerous to show a lack of resolve so close to home,” Freizer said. Serbia’s new government is eager to move toward EU membership, but it does not want an EU mission in Kosovo without United Nations approval. <http://photo.kathimerini.grhttp/wk.kathimerini.gr/kathnews/images/dot_clear .gif> <javascript:pop_me_up('/4Dcgi/4Dcgi/_w_articles_world_11_26/09/2008_100794', 'width=580,height=650,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=yes,resizable=yes');> Print article | <javascript:popupMessage()> e-mail <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_world_1_26/09/2008_100794> [ Reload ] _____ [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/frontpage_1Fpage&xml/&aspKath/frontp age.asp&fdate=26/09/2008> Front Page ] [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/politics_1KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/poli tics.asp&fdate=26/09/2008> News ] [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/columns_1KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/colum ns.asp&fdate=26/09/2008> Commentaries ] [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/world_1KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/world.a sp&fdate=26/09/2008> S/E Europe ] [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/ell_1KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/ell.asp&f date=26/09/2008> Features ] [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/economy_1KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/econo my.asp&fdate=26/09/2008> Business & Finance ] [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/civ_1KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/civ.asp&f date=26/09/2008> Arts & Leisure ] [ <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/sport_1KathiLev&xml/&aspKath/sports. asp&fdate=26/09/2008> Sports ] [ <http://www.iht.com/subscriptions/index.php> Subscriptions ] [ <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Editor ] [ <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Webmaster ] English Edition - Greece's International English Language Newspaper Exclusively available inside The International Herald Tribune in Greece and Cyprus © 2008 H KATHMEPINH All rights reserved.
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