Athens to announce its ‘plan’ on Kosovo status (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore reports that Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis said on Monday after meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, that his Government is discussing a proposal for Kosovo based on five points. The Greek Government officially supports Kostunica’s position on Kosovo, and they will use their international links to contribute to a solution to Kosovo status, Koha quotes Serbian media as reporting.

The first point of the ‘Greek plan’, according to Karamanlis, is that “all the sides, especially the Serbian side should be fully involved in the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo”. The second point is that the future status of Kosovo should be in compliance with the UN principles and linked to the perspective of bringing the region into Euro-Atlantic institutions, and that it (status of Kosovo) should strengthen stability in the region. The third point foresees that Kosovo should have a “more effective decentralization and European standards of ensuring minority rights and security for Kosovo Serb”, while the fourth point mentions “preservation of cultural heritage and reconstruction of orthodox sites”, and the fifth point of the Greek project for the Balkans is for “EU to have a strong leading role…as solution [for Kosovo] cannot be permanent and sustainable unless it is within the European framework based on European principles and rules.