Wednesday, May 04, 2005

UN Kosovo mission not planning visa regime for Macedonians, but tighter borders

Skopje, 4 May: Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski and Deputy Chief of UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Lawrence Rossin discussed in Skopje on Wednesday [4 May] the cooperation between the Macedonian government and UNMIK, as well as confidence building between the citizens of Macedonia and Kosovo.

"The Macedonian government supports developing of friendly relations with Kosovo, which is the factor of stability in the region," Buckovski said, underlying the necessity to resolve some open issues, such as the demarcation of the Macedonian northern border on the part with Kosovo and returning Roma refugees to Kosovo.

"UNMIK has never planned to introduce visa regime for the citizens of Macedonia. The border control will be tightened from 1 July, aimed at combating organized crime, which is in compliance with the regional efforts of all countries," Rossin said.

Buckovski pointed out that all open issues would be resolved in the spirit of friendly relations and dialogue between the Macedonian government and Kosovo.

Buckovski is scheduled to meet Bajram Kosumi, prime minister of the Kosovo interim government, in the course of next month.

Source: MIA news agency, Skopje, in English 1557 gmt 4 May 05

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