Russia's Lavrov says Western draft resolution on Kosovo "unacceptable"

In remarks in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku, Lavrov stopped short of threatening a veto if the draft goes to a vote in the Security Council, but his remark underlined divisions on the plan.

The U.S. and European Union nations circulated a draft resolution earlier this month endorsing supervised independence for Kosovo, in line with the recommendation of a U.N. envoy.

"The resolution ... is unacceptable to us," Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Kosovo is a province of Serbia, but it has been under U.N. and NATO administration since a 78-day NATO-led air war that halted a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999. It has a population of 2 million, 90 percent of whom are ethnic Albanians.

Russian officials have emphasized that will not approve an international decision on Kosovo's status unless it is accepted by Serbia.

At the United Nations, the Russian ambassador has said Russia could use its veto, and Moscow has circulated elements for a rival Security Council resolution urging more talks between ethnic Albanian and Serbian leaders and efforts to protect minorities and facilitate their return to prewar homes in Kosovo.

Russia has close historical and cultural ties with predominantly Orthodox Christian, Slavic Serbia, and vocally opposed the NATO bombing campaign. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/