Serbian Government 'Annuls' Kosovo Independence in Advance
By VOA News
14 February 2008
Serbia's government has adopted a resolution annulling an expected declaration of independence to be issued by leaders of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.
The resolution issued Thursday says any move by Kosovo to secede from Serbia will be "null and void." Kosovo Albanians say they will act in coming days.
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica says Serbia would face no greater humiliation than accepting what he calls a "puppet state" within its territory. His comments were published Thursday in a Serbian newspaper Glas Javnosti.
Serbia and its traditional ally, Russia, will argue their case at a closed-door session of the United Nations Security Council later Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday said a unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence would be "immoral and illegal."
He accused European nations of "shameful double standards" for supporting Kosovo independence while refusing to recognize pro-Russian separatist regions in the former Soviet Union.
Mr. Putin said Russia will not, as he put it, "ape" (copy) European recognition of Kosovo by recognizing similar independence claims in the pro-Russian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia or Trans-Dnistria in Moldova.
But, the Russian president said Moscow has a plan to safeguard Russian interests in case the West recognizes an independent Kosovo. He did not elaborate. Serbia's government also says it has a secret action plan to counter a Kosovo independence declaration.
Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999, after NATO air strikes halted Belgrade's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. An EU police and administrative mission is expected to replace U.N. personnel once Kosovo declares independence.
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