Thursday, April 13, 2006

Kosovo government appeals to Serbs to join provincial institutions

Pristina, 13 April: The Kosovo government has adopted a minority rights resolution. With the resolution, it also called on Kosovo Serbs to participate in regional institutions. Government spokesperson Uljpijana Ljama has said that the adoption of this resolution is yet another manner of confirming the will of the government for guaranteeing the rights of all minorities and their collective integration into the society.

Ljama said that the resolution had six points; one of them calls on the minority communities to integrate and become a part of the united process of turning Kosovo into a democratic state. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said that this is the right time for both sides in Kosovo to reach a serious compromise and find a united solution for the future status of Kosovo. Barroso stated, after a meeting with the UN's Special Envoy for the Kosovo status talks Martti Ahtisaari, that the European Union supported his work thus far and the efforts which he was putting into finding a solution for this very important international question. Barroso reminded that Kosovo and Serbia, as well as all other countries in this region, had a bright European perspective.

"Our stance is that we must work towards democracy, stability and a multi-ethnic Kosovo and that the status must be decided by way of discussions. We will not decide on a solution beforehand and we will do everything we can to make sure that we reach the goal of a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo that will have the same European perspective which has already been offered to Serbia," Barroso said.

Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 1051 gmt 13 Apr 06

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