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Kofi Annan appoints President Ahtisaari to lead Kosovo talks
Helsigin Sanomat
11.2.05

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed officially on Tuesday that former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari would be his representative in talks on the final status of Serbia's province of Kosovo.

The Security Council is to confirm the nomination on Thursday at the latest.

On Thursday evening, Martti Ahtisaari will officially face one of the biggest challenges of his long career of outstanding merit in international crisis resolution.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says that the talks should lead to either full independence for Kosovo or to a far-reaching autonomy for the province as a part of Serbia.

Annan also announced that the former Secretary General of the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Albert Rohan, is to be Ahtisaari's facilitator in the Kosovo negotiations.

Annan's letter of appointment also included the authorisation of the special envoy. Accordingly, the primary purpose of the talks is to determine the future status of Kosovo based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on Kosovo adopted in June of 1999. Ahtisaari is to lead the talks as the representative of Kofi Annan.

Consistent with the UN mandate, Martti Ahtisaari is to cooperate with the negotiating parties and to encourage direct contacts between them. He is to consult the Security Council and the contact group including the USA, the EU, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, and Great Britain, as well as all significant local organisations and other potential operators in the area.

Furthermore, Ahtisaari is to keep in touch with the UN Headquarters, and with Annan's special representative in Kosovo, Søren Jensen-Petersen. Moreover, Ahtisaari is to use his influence and to support him in his efforts to develop Kosovo's administration.

The schedule of the talks will be decided by Ahtisaari after having negotiated with Kofi Annan, whom he will later have to keep informed on the progress of the talks.

On the other hand, some external experts have assumed that the process will take about 12 months.

According to Kofi Annan's letter, the negotiations are to "culminate in a political solution which will define Kosovo's final status". The settlement should also involve the practical application of the final results as well as the role of the international community. It has been estimated that regardless of the settlement, peace-keepers will be needed in Kosovo for a considerable time to come.

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