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