UN to bolster Contact Group effort to impose political settlement on Kosovo

The United Nations Security Council was preparing early today to weigh in behind the imposition by the western powers and Russia of a political settlement on Kosovo's warring parties.

Frustrated by the refusal of both Serbia and Kosovo's Albanian majority to make peace and by the threat of even wider violence as the winter snows melt, the six-nation Contact Group for former Yugoslavia yesterday in London set out a framework for a settlement based on limited autonomy. And it ordered the two groups to settle their differences at a specially convened peace conference in France next week.

Although the Contact Group did not explicitly threaten to use force if the parties did not comply, NATO has done so on its behalf - a neat diplomatic formula that has allowed Russia to support the political initiative while ostensibly distancing itself from threats. The initiative could see up to 36,000 international peacekeeping troops on the ground to secure any agreement finally reached. Britain, France and Russia have already committed themselves to contribute, while the US is reviewing its previous reluctance. The Government is considering its position.

NATO ambassadors will meet in Brussels today to reinforce their threat and step up military planning, while the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, flies to Belgrade to deliver the Contact Group's message. The Contact Group comprises the US, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Russia.

Last night the British tabled a declaration for the Security Council which "welcomed and endorsed" the group's move and "demands that the parties accept their responsibilities and comply fully with the resolutions of the council". Irish diplomatic sources said they expected that the resolution, which does not explicitly authorise the use of force, would be agreed unanimously without problem.

"The time for denial and delay is past," President Clinton said earlier at a White House ceremony. "NATO is united and ready to act." He said the "goal is not merely to respond to the recent atrocities in Kosovo, but to help resolve the conflict so that the violence can end for good."

Mr Clinton said: "With our allies in NATO, we stand ready to back that strategy with the threat of force." He added that the Contact Group terms for an interim agreement would protect "the rights of all the people of Kosovo and [give] them the self-government they clearly deserve".

Under the peace plan drafted by the US envoy, Mr Christopher Hill, and now backed by the Contact Group, Kosovo would have broad legislative autonomy within the Serbian state, with free elections, a police force under local control, and a review of its status after three years.

Serbian forces would patrol Kosovo's external borders and the issue of independence would be avoided.

The group set a February 6th deadline for the two sides to come to peace talks at a castle in Rambouillet, south of Paris, co-chaired by the British and French Foreign Ministers, Mr Cook and Mr Hubert Vedrine.

The group imposed a timescale of one week from that date to reach an accord, although it could be extended for up to seven more days if the talks made progress.

"The Contact Group will hold both sides accountable," the statement from the group said, "if they fail to take the opportunity now offered to them, just as the group stands ready to work with both sides to realise the benefits for them of a peaceful solution."

NATO was more explicit. On Thursday its secretary-general said it "stood ready to act and rules out no option to ensure full respect by both sides of the demands of the international community".

"We will maintain the credible threat of force which has proven again and again to be the only language President Milosevic understands," the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, said. "The Contact Group have made unmistakably clear that the consequences of failure will be swift and serious."

But the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Igor Ivanov, repeated Moscow's opposition to the use of force. "No ultimatums were discussed today," he told journalists. Not by him, anyway.

In the past 10 days NATO has been assembling aircraft in Italy and the Adriatic capable of striking at Kosovo, while it has also been exploring the possibility of choking off the supply of arms through Albania to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

But will they go to the talks?

Mr Adem Demaci, the political representative of the KLA, and the more moderate ethnic Albanian leader, Mr Ibrahim Rugova, have both said they cannot attend peace talks unless the security forces stop attacking their people. Even if that happens, however, there are major diplomatic concerns that the Albanians at any talks will be unable to present a united front, with the KLA insisting that it intends to continue to press for total independence.

Serbia yesterday welcomed the proposal for talks but said its forces could not observe a ceasefire. The Serbian Deputy Information Minister said: "We can't speak of any ceasefire because we consider the KLA a terrorist organisation." Such posturing still leaves open the possibility of a de facto cessation and a small window of opportunity.