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The European
Parliament adopted a resolution based on the own-initiative report drafted by
Joost LAGENDIJK (Greens/EFA, NL) on the future of Kosovo and the role
of the EU. The report was drafted by 490 in favour to 80 against with 87 abstentions. It supported the UN-led process to determine the final status of Kosovo
and endorsed Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's Comprehensive Proposal for a
Kosovo Status Settlement. Parliament took the view that sovereignty
supervised by the international community is the best option for securing
those objectives. the only
sustainable settlement for Kosovo is one which: - grants
Kosovo access to international financial organisations and thus allows it to
start its economic recovery and create the conditions for employment
creation; - envisages an
international presence in order to maintain the multi-ethnic character of
Kosovo and to safeguard the interests and security of the Serb and Roma
populations and of other ethnic communities; - provides
international support in order to secure the development of effective,
self-sustaining institutions for the entire population of Kosovo, operating
in accordance with the rule of law and the basic ground-rules of democracy; - allows
Kosovo to achieve its desire to be integrated in Europe, which in time will
lead to relations of mutual interdependence with its neighbours. Parliament
hoped that a strong and clearly pro-European government could be formed soon
in Serbia, which would be seriously and positively engaged in seeking a
solution to the question of the status of Kosovo. The final settlement should
cover inter alia the following aspects: a clear definition of the role and
mandate of the international civilian and security presence; provisions on
decentralisation which grant substantial autonomy in key areas such as
education, health and local security and, in the case of Serb municipalities,
allow direct but transparent links with Belgrade; full respect for human
rights including the obligation to provide constitutional guarantees for the
vital interests of minorities and refugees; the protection of all cultural
and religious sites; provisions regarding the establishment of a
lightly-equipped, multi-ethnic internal Kosovar Security Force with limited
scope, capability and functions, under the strict supervision of the NATO-led
Kosovo Force (KFOR); international guarantees for the territorial integrity
of all neighbouring states. Parliament
underlined that the solution in Kosovo will set no precedent in international
law, as Kosovo has been under UN rule since 1999. UN Security Council
Resolution 1244 (1999) already contained provisions on the need to resolve
the question of Kosovo's final status. The situation regarding Kosovo is in
no way comparable with the situation in other conflict regions which are not
under UN administration. Parliament
made a series of recommendations on the role and presence of the
international community. Whilst it should be staffed in a manner commensurate
with its tasks, the international presence in Kosovo should not result in the
establishment of a parallel administration or replicate the existing UN-led
administration. However, the international community must have direct
corrective and, in limited cases, substitution powers in crucial areas such
as: safeguarding the vital interests of minorities; the protection of
sensitive sites; security; the judiciary and the broader rule of law,
particularly in the fight against organised crime. Parliament was
convinced that, in the light of its central role in the implementation of the
settlement, the EU should have a decisive say on the final terms of the
settlement. Member States should try to reach a single position on the
question of Kosovo. Parliament called on Council to endeavour to adopt a
common position on the status issue spelling out the minimum requirements of
a sustainable, EU-compatible solution for Kosovo. In accordance with Article
19 of the TEU, Member States represented in the UN Security Council would be
expected to uphold that common position and to keep the EU Council regularly
informed about negotiations. Parliament must also be kept regularly informed.
EU Member States that are members of the Contact Group should share their
information with the Council and all other Member States. The EU as a whole
will bear the international responsibility and the financial burden of the
final settlement. Parliament
stated that it was prepared to make available the additional resources
required in order to finance the future EU involvement in Kosovo with a view
to implementing the status settlement and supporting Kosovo's EU prospects,
provided that certain conditions were met, inter alia, that the status
settlement supported by the UN Security Council must take adequate account of
the Union's common position ; and sufficient advance consultation must
take place on the scope, objectives, means and modalities of that mission, so
that Parliament can be reassured that the resources are commensurate with the
tasks. MEPs supported the establishment of a European Security and Defence
Policy (ESDP) mission in Kosovo that will contribute to the implementation of
the status settlement in the field of the rule of law. Parliament was
concerned about the way in which the transition from the United Nations
Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to the new International
Civilian Office would be managed. It urged the OSCE to continue to play a
major role in Kosovo after the status settlement with regard, in particular,
to the monitoring and verification of election processes. It was also deeply
concerned about the recent violent demonstrations in Kosovo and called on
both sides to exercise the utmost restraint and to make a peaceful conclusion
of the status process possible. Furthermore,
Members supported the view that, in the long run, the solution regarding the
future status of Kosovo lay also in the fact that both Serbia and Kosovo are
due to become part of the EU, together with their neighbours, since the
future of the Western Balkans lay in the European Union. Anchoring Kosovo
firmly within the Stabilisation and Association Process would, inter alia,
strengthen Kosovo's economic relations with Member States and their
neighbours in the Western Balkans and facilitate the stabilisation process in
the region. Finally,
Parliament called on the Council and the Commission to proceed towards a visa
facilitation agreement for Kosovo, as part of the post-settlement phase and
along the lines currently negotiated with its neighbouring countries, taking
into consideration the lack of consular offices of many Member States and the
use, so far, of UNMIK passports.
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