Serbia, Kosovo Albanians in diplomatic offensive ahead of UNSC meeting

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic are scheduled to meet a number of high-ranking officials, including Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema and his Slovak counterpart Jan Kubis.

Serbian officials are also set to meet ambassadors of the 15-member strong Security Council.

"Serbia will demonstrate a positive spirit to keep searching for a compromise solution for Kosovo through further negotiations. Serbia will not put forward tangible proposals on the format of possible negotiating process, but advocate the continued talks which will be the topic of future consultations within the Security Council," said Samardzic.

The Kosovo Albanians will have a similar schedule, including members ambassadors of Croatia, Libya and Vietnam, countries which mandate in Security Council will start on January 1.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, prime minister designate Hashim Thaci and the chief of UN mission in troubled province, German Joachim Ruecker will present Kosovo on the Wednesday's meeting amid a rather confrontational debate between Russia and the West ahead of Security Council's gathering.

After last week's heated debate, the Security Council allowed the representative of Kosovo Albanians to address the meeting, but in private capacity and behind the closed doors in a move which was strongly promoted by the U.S. and Western European countries.

Sejdiu will speak at the meeting in "private capacity" under the Rule 39, which says that "the Security Council may invite members of the Secretariat or other persons, whom it considers competent for the purpose, to supply it with information or to give other assistance in examining matters within its competence".

Russia, China and Indonesia sharply objected the U.S.-led initiative, but their opposition fell short of 7 votes needed to overturn the proposal.

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