EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn has warned of "instability and even chaos in the Balkans" if the UN Security Council fails to agree on a solution for the controversial Kosovo issue. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn has warned of "instability and even chaos in the Balkans" if the UN Security Council fails to agree on a solution for the controversial Kosovo issue, dpa reported.
Settling the thorny Kosovo issue was a "litmus test" for Europe, Rehn told a European Parliament's committee, adding that Europeans needed to be unified and "not lull ourselves into thinking that we could somehow muddle through."
The commissioner said that after the end of the Yugoslav wars, "Kosovo has been in legal limbo for the past eight years and economically Kosovo is in dire straits."
"There is no benefit from prolonging the agony," Rehn stressed.
The UN plan calls for internationally monitored independence for Kosovo with far-reaching guarantees for the Serb minority. Russia opposes the plan, which has the support of the EU and the US.