Kosovo status talks: A case study on international negotiations

The province of Kosovo (Alb. Kosova/Kosove, Srb. Kosovo i Metohija/косово и Метохиja) is one of the two autonomous provinces of Serbia, Vojvodina being the other province. Since 1999 Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Following the failed attempts of the U.N. Security Council to pass a new resolution in 2007 (replacing 1244 of 10 June 1999), the US leadership has become crucial in shifting international diplomacy toward multilateral negotiations. The fourteen months of UN-led talks deadlocked in April 2007 with no agreement being reached between Kosovo and Serbia regarding its final status. Then in July 2007 Russia rejected the UN plan of "supervised independence" and the fresh round of talks initiated in August 2007 ended with no agreement in December 2007.; This paper takes a closer look at the obstacles that the international community faces in reaching an agreement between the negotiating parties. It examines survey data and empirical literature on the negotiating process, in particular the interests of the political leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, as well as the mediating third parties, namely the delegations from the UN and EU. The results suggest that the degree of effectiveness in the negotiation phase depends on the methods of negotiation. Specifically, the use of principled negotiation might have been the answer to Kosovo's dilemma. The change in bargaining over positions would shift the focus to efforts of creating options for mutual gain for the involved parties. Further progress on Kosovo's economy, property rights and the rights of communities depend on a timely resolution of Kosovo's future status.