West, Russia present rival UN plans on Kosovo

UNITED NATIONS, May 8 (Reuters) The United States and Europeans have drawn up elements for a UN resolution that would offer Kosovo's 2 million ethnic Albanians their own state, according to documents obtained by Reuters today.

But Russia, an ally of Serbia, has distributed its own ingredients for a UN Security Council resolution, which says it is too soon for a decision on the status of Serbia's breakaway province and calls for ''the necessity to continue negotiations.'' The United States and European members of the Security Council -- France, Britain, Italy, Belgium and Slovakia -- as well as Germany, which holds the current European Union presidency, circulated 13 points of ''possible elements of a new UN Security Council resolution on Kosovo.'' A future resolution would be under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which would make provisions mandatory.

The key measure is an endorsement of recommendations for Kosovo's future status as drawn up by UN mediator Martti Ahtisaari, which would give virtual independence to Kosovo under European Union auspices.

In light of Serbia's strong opposition to the Ahtisaari plan, the Western paper says that enacting measures on Kosovo against the will of Belgrade is a ''special case'' because of ''the violence and repression of the 1990s.'' Kosovo has been in limbo since 1999 when the United Nations took over the administration after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended a crackdown by Serbia on ethnic Albanians Kosovars. A NATO-led peacekeeping force patrols the province.

The measures also call for the ''urgent necessity'' for more progress on the return of refugees and those uprooted from their homes, mainly minority Serbs.

And the Western draft would replace most of the provisions laid down in a 1999 council resolution on setting standards for minority rights and curbing violence. Russia has maintained that these demands had not been fulfilled and the final status of the province could not be decided before then.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the current Security Council president, confirmed distribution of the Western paper on Friday and downplayed threats of a veto by Russia.

''They have not made that threat to me. We are working with them,'' he told reporters.

A council resolution would require nine votes in favor and no veto from the five permanent members in the 15-nation body.

The key point in the Russian paper is an acknowledgment ''of the inconclusiveness up till now of the political progress to determine Kosovo's future status and of the necessity to continue negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina with balanced international mediation primarily focused on protection of minority rights.'' In Pristina, European Union envoy Stefan Lehne said work on a draft resolution ''will take some time.'' ''There will be all sorts of international meetings to try to overcome the obstacles towards the resolution,'' Lehne said.

Analysts believe the issue could come to a head around the time the Group of Eight industrial nations meet in Germany on June 6-8.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu warned last week that the province would be independent whether or not Russia uses its veto, raising the prospect of a unilateral declaration that would likely be recognised by Washington but would almost certainly split the EU.

US Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried told Reuters late last month that Kosovo would be independent ''one way or another.'' Reuters SBA VP0325