Serbia hails, Kosovo regrets UN backing for EU mission

(BELGRADE) - The UN's endorsement of a plan to deploy a European mission in Kosovo was welcomed Thursday by Serbia but seen as a major setback in the disputed Albanian-majority territory.

In a unanimous vote, the 15-member UN Security Council endorsed the plan by UN chief Ban Ki-moon paving the way for the European Union's rule of law mission to be fully operational by December.

The move ends a months-long power vacuum in Kosovo, a UN-administered southern province of Serbia which unilaterally declared independence on February 17.

It was hailed promptly by the Belgrade government as a way to stabilise the Balkans and help minority Serbs who account for little more than 100,000 of Kosovo's two million population.

"We view the acceptance of Ban Ki-moon's report with great satisfaction. The decision... is very important for the further development of relations in the region," Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said.

His deputy Ivica Dacic said: "For the first time after many years, the Security Council has taken a decision which is not contrary to Serbia's interests, also confirmed by the fact Kosovo Albanians were against it."

In Pristina, President Fatmir Sejdiu's office reiterated Kosovo's opposition to the plan which provisionally leaves the Serb-populated north and enclaves under the UN umbrella.

"We remain opposed to any solution which questions the sovereignty of Kosovo and its constitution," presidential spokesman Xhavit Beqiri said.

He added however that "EULEX is welcome in Kosovo" under a blueprint for Kosovo's "internationally supervised independence."

The ethnic Albanian majority fear the plan could lead to the creation of a mini-Serbian state within Kosovo.

"Now is the time for the Kosovar (parliament) to... reach a consensus that rejects the setback to 1999 and Kosovo's partition," analyst Avni Zogiani said in a commentary for the daily Koha Ditore.

Kosovo has been run by the UN's interim mission UNMIK since NATO's 1999 air strikes drove out Serb forces waging a bloody crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists and their civilian supporters.

Under the UN plan, the mission known as EULEX is to take over from the UN's post-war mission, mentoring Kosovo's transition and controlling police, justice and customs while remaining neutral regarding its independence.

UN Secretary General Ban has said EULEX would observe strict neutrality regarding Kosovo's independence, meaning the EU mission would not convey any UN recognition of the territory's status.

Despite their differences on the UN plan, the governments of both Kosovo and Serbia have promised to cooperate with EULEX.

The endorsement of the EULEX plan was also welcomed by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

"We welcome the outcome of the debate in the UN Security Council" on Wednesday, Solana's spokeswoman said. "That allows us to prepare for EULEX's initial operational ability."

The United Nations has not made a decision on Kosovo's independence but more than 50 countries, including the United States and most European countries, have backed the move.

The European Union agreed in February to send its EULEX mission to Kosovo, after a 120-day transition period following independence.

But Serbia's rejection of Kosovo's secession delayed the mission's deployment thanks to support from its ally Russia, which can use its veto power to block Security Council resolutions.

The EU mission of some 2,000 policemen, judges and customs officers intends to deploy across Kosovo within weeks, EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon said.

"We will be ready for the beginning of December to fulfill our mission Kosovo-wide," he said while visiting a former military camp outside Pristina soon to be settled by a special European police unit.