New York _ Serbian and Kosovar Albanian leaders meet on Friday for their first face-to-face talks since the current phase of negotiations on the future of the UN-administered entity opened in early August.
Their meeting, facilitated by a Troika of mediators from the EU, Russia and the US, coincides with the UN’s annual general assembly in New York.
Serbia’s Prime Minister, Vojislav Kostunica, and its President, Boris Tadic, have both warned ahead of the meeting that recent statements from US officials, are “not helpful” to the process of determining Kosovo’s long-term status.
The US administration openly supports supervised independence for Kosovo, a proposal that Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leaders have accepted.
However, Serbia has rejected the blueprint for independence, put forward by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari in a previous phase of talks, and Tadic has been critical of the latest US statements on the issue.
“This is not very useful, saying that Kosovo must become an independent country by the end of negotiations on December 10”, Tadic said. “These statements are not encouraging Kosovo Albanians to show flexibility in the talks", he added.
Kostunica reiterated that Belgrade would not offer anything more than extensive autonomy, albeit of “the most advanced” kind that “any nation in the world has.”
Kosovo Albanian leaders are convinced that their homeland is heading towards independence and Belgrade will have little say in the matter.
“Serbia should not engage in the talks with any offers. The status process is about our lives [in Kosovo]”, said Veton Surroi, member of Kosovo’s Unity Team of top negotiators. “With Serbia we should talk abut our future relations as two independent countries”, Surroi added.
Most observers doubt if any concrete results will emerge from these talks because of the wide gap between the two sides.
However, the international community insists that both parties engage seriously in the 120-day process of negotiations inaugurated after the Ahtisaari plan was blocked in the UN Security Council by Russia’s opposition.
Belgrade and Pristina have been urged by the Troika, which represents the six-nation Contact Group, to come up with “creative and new ideas”, during this period, which is due to end in early December 10.
The Contact Group, which brings together the main Western powers with Russia, is due to report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by December 10.
The West wants that date to mark the end of the negotiations, however, Russia has opposed setting any deadlines. (BIRN)
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