No Plan B for Kosovo

"There is no plan B.... If we open for changes and new proposals we are opening a Pandora's box," Ahtisaari told a news conference in Stockholm.

The former Finnish president has presented a plan that would give Kosovo and the territory's ethnic Albanian majority internationally supervised independence. NATO troops would provide security while economic assistance would come from the European Union.

Ahtisaari said he hoped none of the permanent members of the Security Council would use their veto when the plan comes up for discussion in a few weeks.

The plan has the backing of the EU, the United States and the leaders of the ethnic Albanians, who comprise around 90 percent of Kosovo's two million inhabitants.

The EU has said it would only take on the role of supervisor from the UN if the Security Council passes a resolution.

Opposition

But Serbia and Russia oppose the plan. Serbia sees the province as its historic heartland and has proposed that Kosovo be given monitored autonomy instead.

Moscow rejects the plan as a violation of Serbia's territorial integrity and has threatened to use its veto and prevent full UN Security Council backing of the proposal.

Russia has said Serbia and Kosovo should continue talks until they reach a compromise.

However, Ahtisaari told the news conference that he thought Russia was starting to recognize that a negotiated settlement between Serbia and Kosovo was impossible.

"If I had proposed independence without any international presence, then I would accept the (Russian) criticism," he said. "But the UN will be replaced by the EU ... so it really is a compromise."

In addition, Ahtisaari said he would not consider any changes to his proposal.

Tough talks

"I have done my duty," he said. "Now it's up to the Security Council to see how it can actually get the process through."
The peace broker can boast a long list of achievements. He participated in talks that saw Namibia become independent from South Africa, and organized negotiations between Indonesia and the Free Aceh movement. However, the envoy said the Kosovo talks were the toughest he had ever encountered.

Kosovo has been administered by a UN mission since mid-1999, after a NATO bombing campaign ended the brutal crackdown by Serbian forces against the province's Albanians.