THERE is a certain grim irony that Kosovo’s late President Ibrahim Rugova, a man who once alienated militants by promoting a nonviolent struggle against the province’s Serbian rulers, is to be buried Thursday in the martyr’s cemetery in Pristina, reserved for fallen militants in the two-year war against Belgrade. This however was reportedly Rugova’s wish and it is being honored. Even in death, when he is physically reunited with his former opponents, the man is demonstrating the statesmanship which Kosovo’s new president is going to have to follow. The tragedy is that a relatively young leader of such vision and moral authority was not spared longer to lead his people through arguably their most difficult days — negotiations for independence.

Rugova died days ahead of UN-sponsored talks in Vienna with Serbia on a final settlement of Kosovo’s future. These have been postponed until next month. Many Kosovars now fear that their delegation will be much weakened without Rugova at its head. Indeed, when it became clear that the president was losing his battle against lung cancer there was a deep sense of despair in government circles. It must be hoped that such pessimistic thoughts will soon be dispelled. Rugova himself would never have wanted his successor to be awed and paralyzed by his own stature and achievements as president.

There appears to be no shortage of candidates for the presidential post which constitutionally is being held temporarily by the parliamentary speaker, Nexhat Daci, who has himself thrown his hat in the ring. More contestants are expected to emerge. While in normal times this would be a thoroughly healthy development, the plurality of ambitions among Kosovo politicians is currently confusing, if not dangerous. Whoever succeeds Rugova will find himself within days in charge of talks opposite a tough and united delegation from Belgrade prepared to argue every inch of the way against Kosovo’s independence. If the new Kosovo leader emerges bloodied but successful from an acrimonious leadership fight, his personal authority is likely to be in dispute and the whole negotiating position of the Kosovo delegation weakened.

The unfortunate impression emerging from Pristina at the moment is that multiple political ambitions are being promoted at a time when Kosovars need statesmanship, not politics. It will be immensely hard to put aside those ambitions and to form up behind a single unity candidate for the sake of a strong position at the rescheduled independence talks in February in Austria. Nevertheless in an ideal world, this is what ought to happen.

Those contestants who sacrificed their own ambitions now for the greater good could well find themselves rewarded by voters at a subsequent election. What is absolutely not required at this time is unseemly and bitter recriminations among senior Kosovo politicians as to who should be president. It can be certain that Belgrade will be watching carefully for every weakness it can exploit.