Bush administration seeks to undermine Serbia’s geographic integrity
BELGRADE, Serbia-Serbia’s government warned the United States on Tuesday against unilateral recognition of Kosovo’s independence without U.N. Security Council consent.
It said any unilateral recognition of Kosovo’s independence “would be a violation of the U.N. Charter and its norms,” which guarantee the existing borders of the U.N. member states.
U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said Monday that the U.S. considers independence the only option for the Serbian province, which has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999.
He has suggested that the U.S. may recognize Kosovo’s split from Serbia, even if Russia carries out its threat to veto a U.N. plan proposing internationally supervised independence for the province, where separatist ethnic Albanians comprise an overwhelming majority. Russia, Serbia’s historic ally, is one of the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council.
“We will support a declaration of independence by the people of Kosovo,” Burns said, but added that the U.S. expected the U.N. resolution to pass in the Security Council, and that Kosovo’s independence would then recognized by other countries, including the U.S.
The Serbian government, in response, issued what it called “a strong warning” that “U.N. member nations cannot unitarily” recognize Kosovo’s statehood.
http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/01536.shtml