UN decision on Kosovo nears after Russia talks

UNITED NATIONS, July 20 (Reuters) The United States and Germany made one last appeal to Russia on the future status of Kosovo before deciding today whether to shelve a UN Security Council resolution Moscow has threatened to veto.

At issue is a European-American sponsored draft resolution that Moscow says will lead to Kosovo's independence from Serbia, which it opposes without Belgrade's consent.

Few expect Russia to change its mind and allow the resolution to be adopted.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Lisbon yesterday. Lavrov visits Berlin today for talks with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The sponsors of the resolution decided to wait for a decision until after the Berlin talks.

Anticipating the result, Britain's UN ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, told reporters: ''I can only conclude that we are not going to progress in the council (so) we are looking energetically at the different options.'' Kosovo, where 90 per cent of the 2 million people are ethnic Albanians, has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO bombs forced out Serbian troops that were killing and expelling Albanians in a two-year war with guerrillas.

Under the draft resolution, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia would resume negotiations for 120 days. After the talks, the United Nations would hand over the administration of the province to the European Union, removing the issue from Russia's influence. NATO troops would stay on.

But such a process is expected to be a long one and there appears to be no unity on what to do aside from conducting more talks between Pristina and Belgrade, which have so far failed.

Rice told reporters en route to Lisbon for a meeting of the quartet of Middle East mediators: ''We are committed to an independent Kosovo and we will get there one way or another.'' But she did not say how that would be achieved, with agreement of the European Union, which provides the key financial and political assistance.

'LIGHT THE FUSE' The head of the Russian Duma, Boris Gryzlov, said in Montenegro yesterday that Russia would use its veto against a resolution not backed by both Belgrade and Pristina.

He said such a resolution would set a precedent and ''light the fuse'' of separatism in many places around the world: Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Spain, Britain and some African states.

One probable scenario is that the Contact Group of advisers on the Balkans, composed of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, the United States and Russia, would facilitate 120 days of renewed negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina.

No resolution is needed for holding such talks but the Security Council would have to approve any withdrawal of the United Nations from Kosovo, which would need Russia's consent.

Another way ahead was for Pristina to eventually declare independence, ask the United Nations to leave and invite the Europeans into the province. Independence depends on how many countries would recognize Kosovo as a nation.

While the United States would extend some recognition, the position of the EU is unclear.

One sign of hesitation is that Slovakia, a council member, withdrew its name as a sponsor to the resolution but told colleagues it would vote in favor. Its parliament is reluctant to be identified with action promoting an independent Kosovo.

Kosovo leaders, disappointed no date was set for independence, have hinted strongly they would separate from Serbia unilaterally. But they could lose EU support if they do so.

REUTERS AM VV1101