Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 18 2008
Washington Considers Kosovo Independence no Precedent for other
Conflicts
18.02.08 13:05
Azerbaijan, Baku 18 February / corr Trend News K.Ramazanova / The
Kosovo independence cannot become a precedent for other conflicts,
Jonathan Henik, the head of the Public Relations Department of the US
Embassy in Azerbaijan, told Trend on 18 February.
`I do not regard Kosovo as precedent for the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict,’ Henik said.
These are two different conflicts and Kosovo independence cannot
influence the situation in Azerbaijan.
Last weekend (17 February) the Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Tachi
convened a special meeting of the Parliament which declared the
independence of Kosovo from Serbia.
Only five countries (the United States and EU member-countries) of 15
Security Council members supported the plan by Marti Ahtisaari, which
stipulates issuing independence to Kosovo under international
control.
After the unilateral issue of independence of Kosovo, the
self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia intend to
appeal to Russia and UN for recognition of their independence.
In general, at least five EU member-countries, including Cyprus,
Greece, Romania, Spain and Slovakia, have no intention of recognizing
the independence of Kosovo.
Russia regards it unacceptable to determine the status of the
province without consideration of Serbia’s position and insists on
the continuation of talks between Pristine and Belgrade. Moscow calls
on convening an extraordinary meeting of the UB Security Council.
Serbia has no intention of recognizing the Kosovo independence, the
Serbian Prime Minister Voislav Koshtunitza said. He promised the
return of Kosovo and Metokhia to Serbia.
Approximately 2mln people reside in Kosovo with 90% of the population
being ethnic Albanians supporting the independence of the province.
Since 1999, the Kosovo region, which is formally a part of Serbia,
has been controlled by the UN. Kosovo strives for independence, but
Serbia only offers the status of an autonomic region. On 4 February
2008 the EU gave its consent to dispatch an 1,800-member administrate
police mission to Kosovo to replace the already serving `blue
helmets’ in the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
