Third round of talks held in Vienna
The third round of the Kosovo status talks under the auspices of the Contact Group Troika is held in Vienna with the aim of pursuing the limited but gradual progress noted by international officials after the October 14 Brussels round.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, October 22, 2007
The parties are continuing the discussions on their respective proposals - "substantive autonomy" for Belgrade and a "good-neighbourly relations" document for Pristina - but they are also replying to a working document by the Troika, which was presented to them at the end of the Brussels meeting.
The document contains 14 points which could serve as a basis for the continuation of the talks.
None of these points is directly defining the status of Kosovo, but they specify that Belgrade would not rule Kosovo's affairs, and that Kosovo would have unhindered access to international financial institutions.
The two sides are expected to reply to these working points.
The Belgrade delegation is led by Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, while the Pristina delegation is headed by Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime minister Agim Ceku.
"We are entering deeper and deeper to the core of our plan and we are ready to answer the questions of the Kosovo Albanians (...) the talks are now longer and more substantial", Jeremic said ahead of the meeting, expressing confidence that the third round will represent a "step closer towards a compromise solution for the future status of Kosovo".
