Lavrov: Kosovo situation has reached crisis point

Moscow_(dpa) _ Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has declared that the conflict over independence for the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo has reached crisis point, Interfax news agency reported Monday.

As the UN Security Council began Monday to work on a report by the so-called Troika of the EU, the US and Russian mediators, Lavrov reiterated Russia's position that "recognition of a unilateral proclamation of independence by Kosovo would violate international law."

The Troika, which had been given a December 10 deadline for its report, has said that its mission has failed because neither Belgrade nor Pristina were willing to give way on the fundamental question of sovereignty over Kosovo.

Belgrade adamantly insists on sovereignty over the province, while Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority is expected to declare independence in 2008. But it has vowed not to do so without US and European Union approval.

Russia, which supports Belgrade's claim, resents what it sees as Western support for Kosovo's plan to break away.

"The UN negotiations are plagued by underhanded manoeuvres, which aim to break negotations and acquiesce to the de-facto legitimization of 1/8Kosovo's 3/8 future illegal steps," Lavrov said on Monday.

Russia fears that Kosovar independence will prove a destabilizing force encouraging ethnic separatist movements in other regions.

Lavrov warned that unilateral recognition of Kosovo's independence would not come "without consequences," saying such a move could trigger a domino-effect in the Balkans and other regions. dpa adc pmc