The Balkans could collapse back into chaos if a United Nations
proposal to grant independence to Kosovo, a breakaway Serb province,
was not accepted, a European Union official said on Wednesday.
Speaking to a European Parliament committee, EU Enlargement
Commissioner Olli Rehn said unity among EU states was vital
for the U.N. resolution, which calls for Kosovo's independence
supervised by the EU.
He also urged Russia not to stand in the way of such a resolution
and urged it to approach the issue in a spirit of "responsible
multilateralism".
The United Nations has controlled the territory, whose population
is predominantly ethnic Albanian, since 1999 when NATO bombing
forced Serbia to withdraw troops accused of killing 10,000 Albanians
during a counter-insurgency war.
The U.N. proposal represented a "realistic compromise"
and needed the full support of EU states, Rehn said.
"If the United Nations Security Council fails to agree
on a resolution, it is clear instability and even chaos (can
result) in the Balkans," he said. "We must not take
our eyes off the Balkans because conflict could still break
out in Kosovo."
"It is extremely important that we can achieve European
unity because otherwise we are sure to fail," he added.
Officials from all 27 EU states have supported the plan but
some have expressed concern it could encourage their own separatist
movements. EU officials also say non-EU nations could exploit
such concerns to create rifts in the Security Council.
Europe, Rehn said, would be the one to "pay the price"
if a U.N. resolution was not passed, saying Kosovo would be
"a real litmus test for responsible multilateralism in
the United Nations and on the ground".
Rehn said EU member states must provide enough funds for the
EU's expanded role in an independent Kosovo. He said he and
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana would present a report
on it to EU foreign ministers in Germany next week.
The proposal is expected to pass to the U.N. Security Council
next week and would then be discussed at a closed hearing in
early April.
