Ahtisaari to propose partial independence for Kosovo

Martti Ahtisaari, the United Nations’ special envoy will present his long-awaited proposals for Kosovo’s "supervised independence" on 2 February.

Ahtisaari’s formula is expected to stop short of granting Kosovo complete independence, but will allow Kosovo - currently part of Serbia - to join the European Union and other international bodies.

The EU will be tasked with overseeing the running of the province, taking over much of the work that is currently done by the United Nations and NATO.

EU sources confirmed that the former Finnish president will present his proposals on 2 February, following the Serbian elections this Sunday (21 January).

Discussions are now under way on how the EU should respond.

Although all member states are expected to welcome Ahtisaari’s proposals, there are different views on how much they should be adjusted to take into account the position of the new Serbian government and whether further rounds of talks should take place.

The current Serbian government’s rejection of independence and the diametrically opposed position of the Kosovan authorities has made direct talks impossible.

UN administrators in the region fear that a delay in bringing the matter before the UN Security Council could prompt violence in the province.

The future of Kosovo and Serbia will be at the centre of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels the day after the Serbian elections, but the results of the elections will not be known until 23-24 January.

EU ambassadors will meet on Monday morning (22 January) to draft an EU response to the elections as information trickles in.

But talks at foreign minister level are likely to be difficult. In a sign of the tension building among member states there has been unease over plans by the German presidency of the EU to delay a substantial discussion on Kosovo and the Serbian election results until 7 February.

Then EU ambassadors, foreign policy chief Javier Solana and one of Ahtisaari’s principal advisers are expected to meet in Brussels.

Greece and Italy are among those pressing the EU to formulate a quicker response.

The delay has also raised fears that differences of opinion among the EU member states may come to the surface in the week following the elections.

The Union has left open the possibility that the new Serbian government could restart talks with the EU on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement - a key stepping stone towards eventual EU membership - before apprehending suspected war criminal Radko Mladic. The EU has refused to restart talks with the current government until Mladic is caught.

Martti Ahtisaari, the United Nations’ special envoy will present his long-awaited proposals for Kosovo’s "supervised independence" on 2 February.