Contact Group awaiting Ahtisaari’s proposals (Koha Ditore)

Member states of the Contact Group say they continue to support the work of the UN Status Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and the views that he may present during his work. Representatives of the CG also remind the negotiations sides the call done through the ministerial statement of the Contact Group countries.

“Ministerial statement of Contact Group of 20 September reiterates the need for both sides to be as serious and as flexible as possible to find a suitable solution,” the paper quotes head of US Office in Pristina Tina Kaidanow.

The paper recalls the statement of President Ahtisaari who said that no one in the horizon can see a sign that Pristina and Belgrade could come to a negotiated agreement for the Kosovo status.

Head of Russian Liaison Office in Pristina Andrej Dronov said, however, that his country wants the status process to end in an agreed settlement. “It is clear that Russian Federation wants a status reached through a negotiated agreement between sides in talks. It is therefore also clear that the Contact Group eagerly waits for a greater inclusion of Pristina and Belgrade in status process,” Dronov told Koha Ditore. Dronov explained that the officials in Moscow continues to support President Ahtisaari and expects him to use all possible resources before getting out with recommendations on status solution.

Patrick Mura, head of Italian office in Pristina, said that the work of UN Status Envoy is very difficult and that there has been very little movement in bridging the differences between the Pristina and Belgrade delegations. He said Ahtisaari enjoys full support from the Italian Government to come to the best recommendations under the given circumstances. “Then and only then we can be able to decide about future steps,” Mura pointed out.

Full support to Ahtisaari is also voiced by the German Government through its representative in Pristina Eugen Wollfarth who said that rigidity has been evident in the both delegations but stressed that official Pristina has made some movements in the technical issues but also in its interior politics. “Team of Unity, Government and Assembly are vigorously working on achievement of the process and deserve the full support of Kosovo citizens in building a free, democratic and modern society,” Wollfarth is quoted.

Ruairi O’Connell from the British Office in Pristina said that President Ahtisaari enjoys unreserved support from his government and that the process of Kosovo status resolution aims at creating structures that would give equal voice to all ethnic communities.

Representative of the French Government in Pristina Thierry Reynard said officials in Paris stand behind the September CG ministerial statement. “Contact Group continues to closely monitor the level of constructive engagement of both sides and will draw conclusions based on this. Efforts for a negotiated solution should not hide the fact that none of the parties can unilaterally block the course of status process,” Reynard said for the paper.