Kosovo. Kosovo. Kosovo. This province, administered by the United Nations, bordering the European Union, within the territorial boundaries of Serbia and with its story reminiscent of Russia’s own woes, has been the top item on a number of top-tier summits for weeks on end.

No wonder. It is the prime display of multilateralism in action. Now that Kosovo’s independence tale is about to be shelved into the annals of world history, the international community has been busy pressing their views in order to have the story told their way. Hence the abundance of summits.

Although the troika of the EU, the US and Russia failed to broker an agreement on the status of Kosovo, all parties – alongside the UN – are busy repeating their position until they get agreement. The news for Bulgaria in the Kosovo mosaic that the international community is dynamically shaping is that this country has been slowly emerging as a negotiator. And Bulgaria could well become a new diplomatic tool for the EU, now that all other diplomatic tools have been worn out.

That the EU has given Bulgaria the responsibility to act on its behalf is because of its appropriate qualifications to be a negotiator. According to EU officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Bulgaria is on the Balkans and has assumed a neutral stance in its foreign policy that allows it to act as a bridge between Serbia and Kosovo.

The first tangible sign to this effect came during the December 14 summit of the European Council in Brussels. Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin was among the key speakers on Kosovo. A statement by the Foreign Ministry that day confirmed that within the EU there was recognition that Bulgaria’s position on Kosovo was pivotal. What was more, material events after the summit showed that Bulgaria and the EU as a whole are, at present, in full alignment on Kosovo.

Furthermore, the fact that Kalfin was first quoted in international media on the Kosovo dispute was indicative of the fact that another voice has to be taken into consideration in the Kosovo discourse.

Bulgaria’s position was highlighted in a post-Brussels statement: “Bulgaria’s vision is that after the end of direct negotiations, the EU has to assume a leading role in a new international political process, which is to minimise risks to international security,” Kalfin said, as quoted in the statement. “In the absence of a definitive agreement, the Ahtisaari plan remains the only real alternative which can guarantee this process and form the foundation for future actions of the EU. It is no less necessary to deploy a mission of EPSO (the European Policy for Security and Defence), as well as substantial participation in the International Civil Service in the area.”

In regard  to Serbia, Kalfin said: “Bulgaria shares the vision that it is necessary to voice a clear political signal toward Serbia by reiterating its European prospects.”

Events shortly after the Brussels summit also testified to the fact. The EU did announce that it would head toward the deployment of an EPSO mission in Kosovo to serve as replacement for the UNMIK troops, which have overseen security in the breakaway province since 1999. The troops would be made up of 1800 police and civil officers.

Furthermore, the fact that Bulgaria has been entrusted the role of a negotiator on behalf of the EU transpired in Kalfin’s ongoing foreign visits. Kalfin is at present on a pan-Balkan tour, including Greece, Serbia and Kosovo.

Emerging from a December 18 meeting with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic, Kalfin’s words reflected those pronounced on December 14. Reminding Serbia of its EU prospects, he reinforced the “neutrality” tone with a statement that “the unilateral declaration of independence and the subsequent potential recognition of Kosovo is not presently on the agenda”.

“A political process and dialogue is what should occur,” Kalfin said, adding that Kosovo’s unilateral proclamation of independence would represent a bad twist in developments. He confirmed that all parties should hold onto their commitment to refrain from violence. The opposite development would threaten security in the region, Kalfin said.

The political interplay, however, on the EU’s behalf naturally does not end with Bulgaria. Rather, Bulgaria is part of the EU’s push towards the leading role in the resolution of the dispute over the status of Kosovo.

“The goal of the EU mission is to assume a leading role on the entire problem on Kosovo’s future,” Jose Socrates, prime minister of Portugal, the outgoing president of the EU, said.

As such, over the past week the EU had offered Serbia accelerated procedure to join the Union provided it co-operated on bringing war crime fugitives still at large to justice and on a declaration for unilateral independence.

The same sort of activity has been displayed by the other major parties in the discourse. The UN is yet to come up with a finite position. Although the UN Security Council has just ended its final session for the year, and the final in its present composition, with no conclusive stance, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will have a vital say in mid-January. Then the secretary-general will present his Kosovo report, based on the report of the mediating troika. It is set to infuse new vigour to the Kosovo dispute.

Serbia, for its part, has hardened its tone in the past few days. Serbia’s president, prime minister and foreign ministers took turns in saying that Serbia did wish to join the EU, but was not ready to “trade” it for Kosovo. In a recent poll, 75 per cent of Serbians took the same stance as their leaders. The Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica summed it up, “The recognition of an independent Kosovo would be the most dangerous precedent after World War 2. It is particularly offensive and unacceptable that Serbia has been offered EU membership if it acquiesced to the forceful change of its borders.”

Meanwhile, fear that the dispute might take a more violent turn was growing. Despite that both Serbia and Kosovo pledged non-violence, thousands of Serbs protested against Kosovo’s independence on the eve of the UN Security Council meeting.

The Kosovo timetable will continue to be busy with meetings now that the rigid words and moods of all sides presuppose a solution, whether it is acceptable to all or not.

And after all, with as delicate a case as Kosovo’s, one should heed Voltaire, who said: “The attempt to be liked by all leads to failure.”