By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
BELGRADE, Oct 23 2007 (IPS)

International mediators have made another effort to bring Belgrade and Pristina closer, with a 14-point plan for Kosovo.

The plan presented Monday to delegations from Serbia and Kosovo in Vienna describes a number of areas where the two could cooperate, without clearly pronouncing on independence. Kosovo is the United Nations administered southern province of Serbia. Its mainly Albanian population of two million wants independence from Serbia.

The plan says the international community will retain a civilian and military presence in Kosovo even after its status is agreed. About 16,000 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led peacekeepers are in the province.

The document says Belgrade will not re-establish a physical presence in the province; it calls for Belgrade and Pristina to maintain close cooperation in energy, economy, environment, human rights and the fight against organised crime. Kosovo will have financial independence, with no Belgrade influence on its international arrangements in this area.

Serbia opposes independence for Kosovo, saying it would be “ripped off of 15 percent of its territory.” Belgrade promises only “broad autonomy” to Kosovo, almost never mentioning the two million ethnic Albanian population.

Kosovo has been run by the UN administration since 1999, following 11 weeks of NATO bombing of Serbia due to the repressive politics of Belgrade against local Albanians. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 that provides for special status for Kosovo describes it as a part of Serbia.

“The 14-point plan represents what the international negotiators have reached as common denominator between the two so far,” foreign policy expert Dusan Lazic told IPS. “Such a platform is needed to reach a common ground for any talks to continue.”

The document was created by European Union (EU) mediator Wolfgang Ischinger, U.S. envoy Frank Wisner and their Russian counterpart Alexander Bocan Harchenko, dubbed the mediating “troika”.

International efforts to solve the issue of Kosovo began two years ago, but indirect and direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina failed earlier this year when Russia threatened to veto any new U.N. resolution granting independence to the province.

An agreement was reached later to continue efforts to solve the Kosovo issue. The final date for report on progress of negotiations is set for Dec. 10, when U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will consider the latest report on the talks.

For ethnic Albanians, this is the date when independence can be proclaimed. As Belgrade countered the new international offer with a 14-point offer of its own, Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku told reporters of fundamental differences in the proposals. “There are two different concepts before us,” Ceku said. “One is related to the past (Belgrade’s), the other to the future (the troika).” He said independence is “non-negotiable”, and has been “supported by the majority of the international community.”

The United States backs independence for Kosovo, while its EU partners do not all agree on the issue. The EU is meant to take over running of Kosovo once the U.N. administration leaves, and help build democratic institutions. The EU is unwilling to do so without a clear mandate by the U.N., and without a clear situation on the ground.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has vowed repeatedly “never to give Kosovo away.” Serbian minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic has said that “foreign policy and border control are the minimal competences Serbia should maintain to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The next round of talks is due in Vienna Nov. 5.

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