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  UN SECURITY COUNCIL FAILS
TO BREAK KOSOVO STALEMATE

The UN Security Council failed to break the impasse over Kosovo Wednesday as Western envoys said further talks between the parties would be pointless and that the status quo in the breakaway Serbian province is "unsustainable."
Speaking on behalf of Western members of the council, Belgian Ambassador Johan Verbeke said presentations made by leaders of Serbia and Kosovo's Albanian majority confirmed that "their views remain irreconcilable."
The 15-member body met behind closed doors to hear Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu make their respective cases.
It was the council's first meeting since four months of talks between Belgrade and Kosovo's Albanian separatists ended in failure December 10 over the issue of sovereignty for the UN-ruled province.
"The presentations made by the parties confirmed that their views remain irreconcilable on the fundamental question of sovereignty," Verbeke said. "The status quo is unsustainable," he added.
Belgrade, backed by Moscow, says it is willing to offer Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority broad autonomy but not independence, as it views the province as its historic heartland.
Leaders of Kosovo's 1.8 million ethnic Albanians, however, insist they will make a unilateral declaration of independence in "coordination" with Washington and most European Union (EU) members within weeks, after 18 months of failed talks with Serbia.
"We will work with the European Union and NATO in a careful and coordinated manner toward a settlement for Kosovo," Verbeke said. "We underline our shared view that resolving the status of Kosovo constitutes a sui generis case that does not set any precedent."
He said Western members of the council plus Germany endorsed the view that "the potential for a negotiated solution is now exhausted" and believed that further negotiations "will not make a difference."
"Numerous other council members expressed the same view in today's debate," he added.
But his Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin, whose country is a veto-wielding permanent council member, begged to differ.
"We do believe that negotiations can continue and they can produce an outcome which would be acceptable for the two parties," he added.
Churkin floated a new initiative that would aim to work out a roadmap in support of the negotiation offers made by Belgrade and Kosovo leaders.
US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad warned that "the continuation of the status quo poses a threat not only to peace and stability in Kosovo but to the region and therefore to Europe."
"The United States, the Europeans, others are determined to move forward with the implementation" of UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan for internationally supervised independence "in order not to allow the situation to get out of control."
But Kostunica told reporters that any unilateral declaration of independence would be "null and void" and would be a violation of Security Council 1244, which governs the UN presence in Kosovo.
He said talks over Kosovo's future status "must continue," state television RTS reported later.
"These negotiations must continue since we are facing a dilemma, a dramatic and historically important one: whether the international law exists to be respected or to be breached," Kostunica said.
Sejdiu, while insisting that Kosovo would continue to seek better ties with Belgrade, defended its claim to independence.
"Our situation is not a case of ethnic secession, but rather a special case that must be seen in the context of Yugoslavia's collapse," he said. "The Ahtisaari plan provides a solid basis for us moving forward. We are prepared to commit fully to its implementation."
Last Friday, EU leaders deployed around 1,800 police and prosecutors to Kosovo in an action that had been planned under the UN proposal for "supervised independence."
EU leaders also offered Serbia "accelerated" entry to the European Union.
But Russia has insisted that the EU police mission would be illegal without UN approval, something disputed by Western ambassadors here.

"FACES WITHOUT MASKS"
AMATEUR THEATRE FESTIVAL RESTORED

Youth Cultural Center (MKC) restores amateur theatre festival "Faces Without Masks" after four year hiatus. This is only part of the activities within the 35th anniversary of the institution.
The festival begins Thursday with the appearance of Theatre 007 and performance "Cigarette Butts", based on book "Last New Year" by Nicolo Amaniti, directed by Igor Ivkovic. "Skrb i Uteha" theatre tours on Friday with performance "Serdarot - Forever with Love" directed by Tihomir Stojanovski. MIM Studio Cvetanovski tours with "Frequencies", directed by Vojo Cvetanovski on Saturday, whereas the festival closes with "Beckett - Sketch on Theatre" directed by Bore Angelovski, performed by "Steps" Theatre on Sunday.
Festival "Faces Without Masks" used to be held in May, when awards had also been granted and performances for the participation at Amateur Drama Festival in Kocani had been elected. International theatre festival of alternative, amateur and experimental projects "Faces Without Masks" contributes to the development of drama amateurism.
Youth Cultural Center opened exhibit "35 Years Addicted to MKC", whereat photographs from the Center's development dating from 1972 until present have been displayed.		  
     
     
     
 

 

  
     
     
     
 

 

  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 NEWS

  SCHENGEN ZONE ENLARGES

New member states of the Schengen zone include Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta.
Today the states parties to the Schengen Agreement include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
The date for lifting internal border control for land and sea-borders is December 21, 2007 and for air borders - March 30, 2008.
A Schengen visa issued by a diplomatic mission of one of these countries is valid in all member-states.
New member states will start issuing Schengen visas on 21 December 2007. The conditions will be the same as for the Schengen visas issued by the present Schengen member states.
The EC officials further said that third-country nationals subject has to apply for visas at the consulate of the Schengen state of his/her main destination (main reason for the visit or the longest visit in case of visiting more than one state). If the state of main destination cannot be determined (intention to make visits of equal length in different member states), the application has to be submitted to the consulate of the state of first entry.
Third country nationals can travel with one Schengen visa within the whole Schengen area including new member states. The abolition of internal border checks does not affect the exercise of security checks on persons carried out at ports and airports, the EC noted.
The European Commission underscored that national short-stay visa remains valid even after 21 December 2007; however, it will be valid only for stay in the territory of the member state which issued that visa. However, during a transitional period, until June 21, 2008 such a national short-stay visa issued by one of the member states joining the Schengen area allows for transit through the territory of the other member states joining the Schengen area, except for transits through the territory of Estonia and Lithuania.