New Kosova Report

International body for Kosovo to meet in Vienna

Wednesday, 27 February 2008

Kosovo flag

PRISHTINË - The International Steering Group for Kosovo will meet for the first time in Vienna on Thursday to draw up an operational plan for the next four months, when the UN mission will transfer power to an EU mission and the Kosovo government.

EU envoy for Kosovo Pieter Feith will head the meeting, officials from the EU mission in Kosovo told Xinhua.

The International Steering Group is tasked to oversee the implementation of the Ahtisaari plan which gives Kosovo internationally supervised independence.

The group is made up of officials from the United States, major European Union countries and NATO.

More countries, such as Japan, Canada and Sweden, are also invited to the meeting. These countries are either big contributors to the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, or would-be big donors.

Although Russia has also been invited to be part of the international group, it is unlikely that Moscow will participate given its opposition to Kosovo's independence.

Ten day after the unilateral declaration of independence, the situation on the ground remains relatively calm. There has been tension in the Serb-dominated northern part of Kosovo. Local Serbsare protesting in the northern town of Mitrovica every day since the declaration of independence on Feb. 17.

Several Serbian ministers have visited Kosovo Serb communities to show Belgrade's support for Serbs. The minister of labor and welfare policy, Rasim Ljajic, visited Gracanica on Wednesday.