CHURKIN ON KOSOVO UNSCR: STEPS FORWARD SOMETIMES

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000503 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC UNMIK YI SUBJECT: CHURKIN ON KOSOVO UNSCR: STEPS FORWARD SOMETIMES LEAD TO WRONG TARGET ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified -- please protect accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) Summary: During Security Council consultations on June 20, France, on behalf of the co-sponsors, tabled a revised draft resolution on Kosovo. Ambassador Wolff and the UK Deputy Permrep delivered comments supporting the resolution. Russian Permrep Churkin, said the resolution's automaticity was a shortcoming that made it "radically different" from Russia's elements, which were still on the table. End summary. ¶3. (SBU) During Security Council consultations on June 20, France tabled under any other business a revised draft resolution on Kosovo on behalf of European members of the Security Council, the United States and Germany. In tabling the resolution, French Charge Lacroix stated that the Security Council needed to act responsibly to establish stability in the region. Speaking for the UK, Charge Pierce explained that the resolution had been recrafted to address the concerns of many members and "one in particular." Pierce reminded all that EU Foreign Ministers had stated on June 18 in Brussels that they reaffirmed support for Ahtisaari's settlement. Pierce went through the resolution explaining differences from the previously tabled text and pointed to preambular paragraph four, in particular, as containing language on the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia that Russia had stated would be acceptable to it. Pierce also pointed to other important differences in the resolution, including a reference to the Guiding Principles of the Contact Group, a preambular paragraph saying the status quo was not sustainable, operative paragraph one that "builds on a proposal from Panama", and operative paragraph two that calls for further discussions between Belgrade and Pristina to see if an agreement could be achievable. ¶4. (SBU) Speaking for the US, Ambassador Wolff stated that the new draft was the culmination of work that had involved 18 months of intense negotiations with the parties. It was time for the Council to decide on an issue that was difficult, but could not be ignored or put off. Agreement between the parties was unlikely, but we expected the parties to negotiate in good faith, he said. Serbia and Kosovo's future in Europe were frozen until we closed the final chapter of the dissolution of Yugoslavia. ¶5. (SBU) In a strong intervention, Russia's Permrep Churkin said there was a clearly a misunderstanding as pre-paragraph 4 contained no input from Russia as it had not engaged in any discussions on the text for reasons of principle. On the draft in general, Churkin said that it was a step forward, but that, as Einstein had once explained, space is a tricky thing and sometimes one can make steps forward without getting any closer to their target. The paragraph putting the Ahtisaari plan into effect does not allow any serious negotiations but only "mock negotiations," said Churkin. The Security Council would be abdicating its responsibility and we would have to take a decision now based on something happening several months in the future, Churkin said. "This shortcoming in the resolution continues to make it radically different from our proposal," concluded Churkin, "which remains on the table." WOLFF