KOSOVO - SERBIA

European Union divided over Kosovo

Saturday 16 February 2008

European Union nations prepared Friday to launch a justice mission to smooth Kosovo's transition to independence but struggled to agree on how to recognise the new state.

Saturday 16 February 2008

At midnight (2300 GMT), the last political and legal obstacles to sending the 2,000-strong team to bolster the province's police and justice system will be lifted, barring any major surprise.

Officials underscore that aircraft will not be taking off Saturday with hundreds of personnel destined for Kosovo, and that the EU is determined to coordinate the deployment with the United Nations and the local authorities.

"We've had an office there for this express purpose since April 2006," one EU official said. A "planning team" of more than 100 people has also been in place in the capital Pristina for several weeks.

In the days after the ethnic Albanian leadership declares independence -- probably on Sunday -- the EULEX Kosovo mission will deploy in earnest and begin a 120-day countdown to taking over policing duties from the United Nations.

Kosovo has been administered by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since 1999, after NATO bombed Belgrade to end a bloody crack-down on Albanian separatists.

The EU mission consists of a political entity to supervise the transfer of powers from UNMIK to the local authorities, and an operational entity to train and mentor police, justice and customs officials.

The third track will see a European Commission component assist long-term reform efforts, economic development, regional integration and help the new nation down the long road to EU membership.

Serbia and its powerful ally Russia are vehemently opposed to independence.

On Thursday, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica slammed the EU's mission plans as a "brutal violation" of international law. His government has already officially "annulled" in advance Kosovo's independence move.

Within the EU, though, the mission plan has met little resistance, as all of the 27 member nations -- even Cyprus, which has taken a tough line -- agree that stability in the Balkans is of paramount importance to Europe.

A much tougher task will come Monday when EU foreign ministers attempt to draw up a "common platform" in response to Kosovo's move, but which does not include the notion of recognising the new state, at a meeting in Brussels.

"The situation is dreadfully complicated," a French diplomatic source said.

An official with the EU's Slovenian presidency said the ministers will want to "take note" of the changes in Kosovo, but even this simple task is proving difficult to put to paper in the form of a declaration.

EU leaders committed in December to help with a settlement on the province's status, including through economic and political assistance and by offering Kosovo a "clear European perspective".

"What's important is the confirmation of the goal the EU has: that Kosovo has a democratic, stable and multi-ethnic future and that this is all based on a European perspective," an EU diplomat said.

But how does the European club offer that perspective, when some of its members will refuse to recognise the new state, at least in the short term?

Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain are among them, while others like Malta and Portugal would prefer that Kosovo's future be decided in the UN Security Council.

"We will see if there is any declaration," another diplomatic source said.

What is clear is that once this matter has been settled, big European nations like Britain, France, Germany and Italy are likely to recognise the move shortly after Monday's meeting, in coordination with the United States.

"We will move very quickly after the end of the GAERC," an EU official said Thursday, referring to the meeting's official title: the General Affairs and External Relations Council.