Professor of the Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Florian Bieber assessed that Serbia-Kosovo agreement must lead toward abolishment of the UN SC Resolution 1244, Beta news agency is reporting.

According to Bieber the agreement should lead toward a new UN SC resolution that would either replace or abolish Resolution 1244, thus providing Kosovo to become a UN member. However, British journalist and analyst Tim Judah thinks that the text of the agreement does not have to be in contradiction with the Resolution 1244.

Bieber went on saying that the agreement in any format must deal with international recognition of Kosovo, while it is understandable why Russia insists the agreement should not go outside of Resolution 1244 framework.

Bieber opined if the agreement would go outside of the Resolution 1244, it would diminish Russian influence on Serbia, if the latter would have accepted “reality – independence of Kosovo, then Russia would not be able to influence events in the Western Balkans.”

Meanwhile, Tim Judah assessed that the text of the Belgrade-Pristina agreement does not have to be in contradiction with Resolution 1244.

Commenting announcements that Russia would be against an agreement that would go outside of the UN decision, Judah told BETA news agency that Resolution 1244 also encompasses normalization of relations in Kosovo.

“In any case the EU expects to reach an agreement in the middle of next year and there is time to reach an appropriate agreement,” Judah said.