On Kosovo, UN's Ban Torn Between Sponsors and Majority and Law, Handover Under Fire

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un3kosovo062008.html

UNITED NATIONS, June 20 -- Heading into Friday's Kosovo meeting in the Security Council, Ban Ki-moon was flanked by his senior advisors, to show how seriously considered his renunciation of the UN's role has been. He entered with Vijay Nambiar and Nicholas Haysom. Kim Won-soo and Jean-Marie Guehenno followed just after. The goal was to look serious, if not contrite. After Ban called Kosovo the most complex problem he's faced in 40 years of diplomacy, Serbian President Boris Tadic said, "I want to be very clear, Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo."

Tadic went on to criticize Ban's June 12 report on Kosovo, which treated hand-over of responsibility to the European Union as a fait accompli. Tadic called Ban's Report "an acknowledgement that an influential and determined minority can set aside considerations of international law."

After Kosovo's Fatmir Sejdiu spoke of his outreach to Kosovar Serbs, the first Council member to speak was Ambassador Spatafora of Italy, apparently because Joachim Ruecker's replacement as head of UNMIK will be an Italian, Lamberto Zannier. It's said that Larry Rossin, too, is leaving. But what about Gerrard Gallucci? What about the UN's promise to investigate its March 17 re-taking of the courthouse in north Mitrovica?

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin critiqued Ban's report paragraph by paragraph. Graf Five, he complained, referred to only one side's challenge to UNMIK's role. Paragraph Nine concedes that UNMIK has abandoned its so-called economic reconstruction pillar, because the European Commission has stopped funding it. But doesn't the UN have its own budget? Churkin concluded that Russia expects Ban to be "ruled by the Charter" and to refrain from any reconfiguring of UNMIK without Council approval. Outside the Chamber, they speak even more harshly.

Update of 12:44 p.m. -- Ban Ki-moon and entourage left the meeting without taking any press questions. Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesperson when his promised report on the events of March 17 will be available; she said she will check. Back at the stakeout, Inner City Press asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin if it is his understanding that the report is finished. Video via here. He indicated it was, and that Ban has promised to provide this report along with briefings on UNMIK operational matters.

On a related Russian issue, Inner City Press askd if Georgia's detention of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia will be raised in the Council. "I have no instructions to that effect," Amb. Churkin said. Then he added that it certainly was "unfortunate."

Earlier in the week, Inner City Press asked Ban's advisor Nicholas Haysom if his diplomacy is constrained or distorted by the need to please the Permanent Five members to get a second term. Haysom said you always need the powerful. But the second term issue has been raised in connection with Kosovo. Whose threat about three years from now is more credible? Watch this space.

Footnote: on his way in to the Council just before 10 a.m., U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad was asked if Kosovo would be solved. It's still early, he said, we can knock it out today. Most journalists laughed. Some will be eating chicken wings with Zalmay on July 2 at the Waldorf Towers. Call it independence day -- for Kosovo. Perhaps there will be burek.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un3kosovo062008.html