Chizov: December 10 is not the end of negotiations
Russia's ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizov said on Wednesday that the negotiations on the status of Kosovo should not end on December 10 if no solution was found by that time.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, October 18, 2007
"The negotiating process does not end on December 10...We do not see that date as a some kind of watershed. It is only the end of the stage," Chizov added.
The Contact Group's troika for the Kosovo talks is to submit a report to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on December 10. The Kosovo Albanians have announced that they will declare independence soon after that date.
According to Chizov, after the troika submits its report, the U.N. secretary general will decide what to do next - whether the troika will continue with the negotiations, or a new format for the talks will be found. The third option would be Serbia and the Kosovo Albanians managing to reach an agreement before all that.
"There are some moderate steps in that direction (toward an agreement). Now there is at least a direct dialog between the Serbs and Kosovo Albanians," the Russian diplomat said.
According to him, it is still too early and too risky to talk any significant progress in the negotiations. "But let us hope that by December 10 there will be enough positive elements and the talks will continue," Chizov added.
Russian officials have on several occasions voiced their opposition to a unilateral solution for Kosovo, and to the imposing of deadlines for the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. The U.S., however, claim the talks should not be extended, adding that the Ahtisaari plan which envisages internationally supervised independence for Kosovo is the best solution, if no compromise is reached by December 10.
