February 5, 2007 - 16:36 AMT
EU: Kosovo status not precedent for other regions
Kosovo, if it gains independence, will not be a precedent for breakaway republics in the post-Soviet territories, said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy. Asked whether breakaway republics in the post-Soviet territories will demand independence following Kosovo's example, she said that each case is individual and all of the aforementioned situations have various historic, political and economic backgrounds. A UN Security Council resolution guides the settlement of the Kosovo situation and, thus, a coordinated process is under way with the participation of a contact group, including Russia, under UN aegis, the commissioner said. UN special representative and former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari has presented his own proposals over the future process to define the Kosovo status to members of the contact group and partners in Serbia and Kosovo, Ferrero-Waldner said, adding that the UN will discuss the proposals in March, reports Rossiyskaya Gazeta.