Wednesday, May 31, 2006

"Unrealistic" Serb positions on Kosovo, charges UN envoy

Vienna - Deputy UN Kosovo envoy Albert Rohan charged Belgrade on Wednesday with defending "unrealistic positions" in the current Kosovo status talks.

But the Albanian side should also be more willing to compromise in the talks on the Serbian province of Kosovo which has been under UN administration since 1999, Rohan said in the newspaper Die Presse.

His interview was in in advance of the latest negotiating round in Vienna on Wednesday.

In the negotiations in Vienna up till now, there had in part been considerable agreement on practical issues. But the two sides' concepts were "totally different," said Rohan.

"The Serb side would like a Serb entity in Kosovo composed of majority Serb communities and Serbian Orthodox churches and monastries."

The Kosovo-Albanians, on the contrary, were in favour of measures protecting the Serb community, but only within the course of a normal decentralization process, and of protection for churches and monastries.

Rohan also commented on a letter by Belgrade complaining about the Kosovo negotiations so far to the foreign ministers of the United States, Russia, Britain, Germany, France and Italy.

The letter demanded that the basic question of the status of Kosovo be discussed immediately, and practical issues only afterwards.

Rohan said: "We regard this letter more as a tactical move by Belgrade to divert attention from the fact that faster progress is foundering on lack of willingness to compromise, above all on the Serb side."

He also pointed out that the schedule and issues of the negotiations were the exclusive responsibility of UN chief envoy Martti Ahtisaari.

On Tuesday, Kosovo turned down Serbia's proposal that it remain under United Nations auspices during a 20-year transition period. Pristina said it would not back away from its bid for full independence.

Describing Belgrade's offer as an "unacceptable offer for tutorship," Pristina's deputy premier Lutfi Haziri said that Kosovo "will not make a compromise over independence."

1 comment:

Hellenic Nationalist said...

anyc . The hipocrisy in your charges of racism are amazing. You cry about racism in your little Albo blog, yet use blanket racist slanders against Christians here.

Must be your mixed Turkish(Mongol) genes. You guys are not known for being rocket scientists. Duh?