The Serbian government sent an initiative to UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday for opening a new stage of
talks on the status of Kosovo and Metohija, the official Tanjug
news agency reported.
In a paper entitled "Initiative of the Republic of Serbia for
opening a new stage of the talks on the status of Kosovo and
Metohija", the Serbian government urged to open a new stage of
talks between Belgrade and Pristina authorities for the basic aim
of reaching a solution on Kosovo status acceptable to both
sides.
"Such a solution, coupled with international mediation, would
represent a guarantee of long-term stability and a condition of
unimpeded economic and social development of the region," the
initiative read.
A good negotiating milieu, corresponding procedure and an
adequate time frame without artificially imposed deadlines are the
prerequisites to reach the aim, the Serbian government asserted in
the initiative, pledging that "by proposing this initiative, the
Republic of Serbia, aware of the historic importance of a just
solution to the problem, is prepared to fully assume its part of
the responsibility for the successful conducting and completion of
the negotiations."
Kosovo, with 90 percent of its population being ethnic
Albanians, has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO
bombings halted the Serbian crackdown on separatist Albanian
rebels. Its future status talks between Kosovo's Albanian majority
and Serbian authorities were first officially launched in November
2005, but ended in vain 13 months later.
UN Kosovo envoy Martti Ahtisaari has proposed internationally
supervised independence for Kosovo, a move backed by the United
States, most EU countries and Kosovo Albanian leaders but rejected
by Serbia and its traditional ally Russia.
The UN Security Council is due to debate a resolution based on
Ahtisaari's proposal later this month, but Russia has threatened to
block any resolution unacceptable to Serbia.
(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2007)
