Bocan-Harchenko: A Kosovo “Dayton” is out of question
The Russian member of the Contact Group troika Aleksandr Bocan-Harchenko dubbed as “speculations” stories about an international conference for Kosovo which would resemble the 1995 Dayton talks which ended the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, October 11, 2007
"It's no secret why Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council in which it has a right to a veto, will not allow for the future status of Kosovo to be resolved at some ‘new Dayton'", Harchenko said.
"During such a conference, Moscow would not have any mechanism to prevent being overruled by a position taken by the West (...) this is why it is important to stick to the current position that the status of Kosovo can be resolved only through the UN Security Council", the Russian diplomat said.
He said there was "no ground for stories that the talks between Serbs and Albanians will finish in early December and that they would be followed by an international conference which would determine the future status of Kosovo".
"Particularly wrong are stories about the weakening of Russia's position (...) we still believe that the talks should last as long as it takes in order to reach a compromise between Serbs and Albanians, which would be a basis for long-lasting peace in the Balkans", Bocan-Harchenko said.
"It is clear that a number of Western politicians and diplomats are forcing on purpose stories about an alleged weakening of Russia's stances in order to put psychological pressure on the Serbs (...) Statements from the highest-ranking Russian politicians and diplomats on Kosovo are clear: Moscow is not changing its view on Kosovo", the Russian member of the troika said.
