U.S. Supports Independence for Kosovo

In this photo released by the United Nations, Special Envoy for the Future Status Process for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari speaks to the media at United Nations Headquarters in New York after consultations on Kosovo, Tuesday, April 3, 2007. (AP Photo/The United Nations, Mark Garten) (Mark Garten - AP)

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council tackled the contentious issue of Kosovo's future status for the first time late Tuesday, with the U.S. and key European nations strongly supporting eventual independence and Russia sympathetic to keeping the province part of Serbia.

The division among the veto-wielding permanent members signaled an uphill struggle to reach agreement in the council on Kosovo, which has been under U.N. and NATO administration since a 78-day NATO-led air war that halted a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999.

Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president who mediated yearlong talks between ethnic Albanians and Serbs over the contested territory, appeared before the council to present his plan which recommends internationally supervised independence for the province.

"This is an important day because it starts a process," he said. "I wouldn't like to say that this is a marathon, but it may be at least a 10,000-meter run."

Symptomatic of the difficulties ahead was a lengthy and sometimes heated closed-door discussion in the council Tuesday morning on how Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Serbian President Vojislav Kostunica would speak to council members.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin insisted that Kostunica, as the representative of a U.N. member state, address a closed council meeting in its chamber while Sejdiu, who does not represent a state, speak to council members informally in a basement conference room _ and that's what happened.

Kostunica emerged "expressing my satisfaction that the plan for the future status of Kosovo proposed by special envoy Mr. Ahtisaari has not been accepted by Security Council."

Reiterating Serbia's offer of "substantial autonomy" for Kosovo, he insisted on further negotiations with a new envoy to replace Ahtasaari, saying "this year or more has been lost."

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, the current council president, dismissed Kostunica's comments.

"Any suggestion that the proposals have been rejected or that a new negotiator is being sought are entirely erroneous," he said. "It didn't transpire in any part of the council."

Jones Parry said the council will decide in the next few days whether to send a mission to Belgrade and Pristina _ as Russia has proposed _ "and I've no doubt that there will be further discussions here this month."

The Ahtisaari plan is backed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Britain, France and the U.S. and Jones Parry said that there was "considerable support" during Tuesday's closed-door council discussion.

Acting U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said the United States believes supervised independence "is the only option really available." But he said there is a need for more information to explain why the Ahtisaari proposals "are the right way to proceed."