Security Council holds Kosovo meeting
Thursday 14 February 2008
The UN Security Council is holding a meeting on plans by Kosovo to declare unilateral independence. Serbia announced it will use all means to stop the province from seceding, but will not resort to violence.
Thursday 14 February 2008
By AFPThe UN Security Council on Thursday opened a closed-door meeting on plans by Kosovo's Albanian majority to declare unilateral independence from Serbia despite vehement opposition from Belgrade and Moscow.
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic was to address the meeting to defend his country's sovereignty over the disputed province which has been under UN rule since mid-1999, after a NATO air assault drove out Serbian forces waging a brutal crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanian guerrillas.
The meeting, called by Serbia and its ally Russia, is also being attended by several dozen non-council members.
A unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo is expected on Sunday or Monday, just before a key meeting of European Union foreign ministers.
A core group of big European Union states -- Britain, France, Germany and Italy -- are expected to recognize Kosovo quickly, almost in concert with the United States, dragging the others along in their wake.
But Belgrade and Moscow have vowed to oppose the move which they say violates international law and the UN charter.
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