Russia spurns West's concessions on Kosovo future

UNITED NATIONS, May 31 (Reuters) Western nations softened a draft resolution to back UN plans for a future Kosovo state, but Russia dismissed the move today and renewed its threat of a veto, absent radical changes.

Western diplomats, speaking after Britain formally introduced the text in the Security Council, suggested the Russians were posturing and said they would like to schedule a vote next week, but did not rule out it could take longer.

The draft is a revised version of one circulated earlier this month that would allow Kosovo's 2 million ethnic Albanians to declare independence eight years after NATO wrested control of the territory from Serbia.

In one change, the Security Council would not ''endorse'' UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's blueprint for qualified independence for Kosovo, but only ''support'' it.

The latest draft also proposes a special UN envoy to deal with the return of thousands of Serb refugees, another concern of Russia. Moscow is a long-standing ally of Serbia, which fiercely opposes Kosovan independence.

Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, scoffed at the amendments as far short of what Moscow was seeking, saying they had ''not changed anything as far as we are concerned.'' Repeating Moscow's call for more talks between Serbs and Albanians -- dismissed as futile by the West -- Churkin again hinted at a veto of the resolution in its current form.

''I don't like this word (veto) till I receive final instructions, but you are guessing well what is in my mind,'' he said in answer to a reporter's question.

STICKING POINT Ahtisaari's plan does not explicitly recommend independence, but sets out the framework of a Kosovo state including provisions for an international overseer and autonomy for the 100,000 Serbs.

Clause 6 of the draft UN text, which calls for replacing current resolution 1244 -- adopted in June 1999 after 78 days of NATO bombing forced the pullout of Serb forces -- remains the key sticking point. Resolution 1244 affirms the sovereignty of Yugoslavia, a defunct state whose legal successor is Serbia.

Kosovo Albanians demand full independence, eight years after 10,000 died and almost 1 million were expelled in a two-year Serbian counterinsurgency war. Serbia says broad autonomy is the most it can offer.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said it was up to Russia to present ''constructive ideas and suggestions'' to amend the resolution, but that Kosovo's independence was inevitable.

Asked when a vote might be called, Khalilzad said: ''Our preference would be for this to take place next week.'' British envoy Emyr Jones Parry told journalists: ''The Russians don't necessarily have any intention to veto ...

There's no point in having a veto unless now and again you flash it around to threaten people with.'' Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France hold vetoes.

In the Kosovo capital Pristina, diplomats said a resolution even by the end of June looked improbable and, with host Germany unlikely to push the issue at next week's Group of Eight summit, September could be more realistic.

REUTERS NY BST0151