Russia opposes U.N. chief's Kosovo plan

BRUSSELS, July 26 (UPI) -- Russian officials have said they think the United Nations' secretary-general overstepped his boundaries by asking to restructure the U.N. operation in Kosovo.

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Friday Ban Ki-moon went beyond his authority by demanding the operation be restructured without consulting the U.N. Security Council, RIA Novosti reported.

"In this situation the secretary-general exceeded his authority, encroaching into the charter prerogatives of the U.N. Security Council," Churkin told the council.

It is reported Russia and Serbia have opposed Ki-moon's plan for the United Nations to hand over its authority to Kosovo federal officials and a European Union operation in the disputed territory, which claimed independence in February.

RIA Novosti said the Security Council is in talks regarding Ki-moon's report on the U.N. mission in Kosovo.

"Russia is concerned by attempts to destroy the formats of the international presence in Kosovo established by the U.N. Security Council, under the pretext that they allegedly fail to correspond to changed realities," Churkin said.