Historical Background

Kosovo has been administered since 1999 by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The supreme legal authority in Kosovo, UNMiK has worked to create "substantial autonomy and self-governance" in Kosovo, gradually transferring competencies to the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG). The senior international official in Kosovo is the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG). In September 2006, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed German diplomat Joachim Ruecker to be the new SRSG. The provisional president of Kosovo is Fatmir Sejdiu; the provisional prime minister is Agim Ceku.

Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244

Kosovo, with a majority ethnic Albanian population, was designated an autonomous province under the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution. The Milosevic regime suspended Kosovo's autonomy in 1989. Beginning in 1998, a series of violent clashes between Serbs and Albanians led to a brutal policy of ethnic cleansing against the ethnic Albanians in 1999. To put a halt to the humanitarian disaster caused by the Milosevic regime, NATO began an air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) on March 24, 1999. At the conclusion of the NATO air campaign, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1244 on June 10 to regulate the post-conflict situation in Kosovo. This resolution mandated that the FRY cease its oppressive polices in Kosovo and conduct a phased withdrawal of its military, police, and paramilitary forces from Kosovo. It provided for a process to determine Kosovo's future status. Resolution 1244 also mandated that an international security presence be deployed in Kosovo to provide for a safe and secure environment. This presence was provided by the "Kosovo Force" (KFOR) composed of over twenty national military contingents under the command of NATO.

Kosovo Under UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1244

Under its authority contained in UNSCR 1244 to establish autonomy and self-governance in Kosovo, UNMIK oversaw (the OSCE supervised) elections for a Kosovo Assembly in November 2001. That Assembly selected a government -- the PISG -- and chose a President and Prime Minister in early 2002. The PISG operates under a "Constitutional Framework" promulgated by the UN in Kosovo in 2001. That document grants the PISG substantial autonomous powers but reserves to UNMIK ultimate authority in budget matters, the economy, law enforcement and security, monetary policy, customs, foreign affairs, criminal justice, and returns of persons displaced from Kosovo. Since 2003, UNMIK has transferred a significant number of governing competencies to the ministries of the PISG. Since 2002, Kosovo's progress toward self-government has been monitored according to a set of UN Standards.

Kosovo's progress in meeting UN standards was marred by the ethnic violence in Kosovo of March 17-19, 2004, which resulted in 20 deaths and damage to or destruction of approximately 900 homes (mostly Serb) and 30 Serbian Orthodox churches and other religious sites. This violence was a severe setback to the progress Kosovo had achieved in implementing the standards.

The Contact Group

In addition to the UN, OSCE and NATO, the principal group of nations that monitors and supervises international policy in Kosovo is the Contact Group. This informal grouping of countries -- including the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and Russia -- first came together in response to the crisis in Bosnia . With observers from the EU and NATO, it now regularly consults on the situation in Kosovo. Comprising four of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council which are also the major contributing nations to KFOR and assistance donors to Kosovo, the Contact Group coordinates Kosovo policy with UNMIK and the Special Envoy. In its "Guiding Principles" for a settlement of the status of Kosovo the Contact Group has stated that any settlement should ensure Kosovo's multi-ethnicity and the protection of the cultural and religious heritage, strengthen regional security and stability, ensure that Kosovo can cooperate effectively with international organizations and international financial institutions, and be acceptable to the people of Kosovo.

Kosovo's Future Status

After nearly eight years of UN administration, a UN-commissioned study determined that further progress on UN Standards would be minimal without clarity as to Kosovo's future status. In November 2005, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland, to lead a political process to determine Kosovo's final status. Ahtisaari first visited Pristina and Belgrade on this mission in November 2005. His diplomatic efforts addressed the range of relevant issues, including decentralization, the protection of cultural and religious heritage in Kosovo, economic issues, and the protection of community rights. Ahtisaari, supported by the Contact Group, presented his comprehensive Kosovo status proposal to Belgrade and Pristina on February 2, 2007. His package contains recommendations for how Kosovo must govern itself and includes substantial protections for minorities. Information on Ahtisaari's proposals can be found in the UN Fact Sheets.

On April 3, 2007, UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari presented to the UN Security Council his proposals as well as his recommendation that Kosovo become independent with a transitional period of international supervision. However, the UNSC could not reach agreement in several months of negotiations on a way to resolve Kosovo's status despite widespread support for the Ahtisaari plan.

The Troika

From left, U.S., EU, and Russia envoys , Aug. 10. [AP photo]

Subsequently, the Contact Group agreed to a new period of intensive engagement with the Serbs and the Kosovars, to seek an agreement between the parties on Kosovo's status. The Contact Group named a "Troika" comprised of representatives of the European Union, the Russian Federation, and the United States. The German ambassador to London, Wolfgang Ischinger, represents the EU, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko represents the Russian Federation, and Ambassador Frank Wisner, represents the United States. Operating under the auspices of the Contact Group, the Troika's purpose is to facilitate this period of engagement between Belgrade and Pristina in an attempt to find common ground on Kosovo's status. The Troika is seeking proposals from the parties.  As requested by the Contact Group ministers, the Troika will play a proactive role in fostering a solution.

On August 1, 2007, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the new period of engagement and stated that "The UN will continue to play a constructive role in the new period of engagement and continue its major role on the ground in Kosovo." The UN Secretary-General requested that the Contact Group produce a report by December 10 on the results of the process. He also indicated that the United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Kosovo (UNOSEK) will be associated with the process by standing ready to provide information and clarification on request.

The Troika representatives made their first trip to the region to meet with government officials in Belgrade and Pristina from August 10 to 12, 2007, and met frequently with the parties until December. After 130 days of intensive negotiations, the Troika's mandate ended on December 10, 2007, with the submission of a report on their efforts to the UN Secretary General. The Troika explored every realistic option for an agreement and, in their words, "left no stone unturned" in the search for a mutually-acceptable outcome.

U.S. Position on Kosovo's Final Status

The United States regrets that leaders from Serbia and Kosovo did not reach agreement on the status of Kosovo during the Troika-facilitated negotiations. The U.S. Government will work closely with our international partners to resolve this issue promptly. We firmly believe implementation of the Ahtisaari proposals, including the recommendation of supervised independence, is the best way forward to ensure peace, stability, and future prosperity for the entire Balkans region. The people of Kosovo and the region urgently need clarity about their future.