Top UK diplomat: Kosovo vote in several weeks

Top UK diplomat: Kosovo vote in several weeks

The details of the meeting have not yet been made public. 

Grant is also expected to meet with UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker, Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu, prime minister Agim Ceku and opposition representatives in the negotiating team Hashim Thaci and Veton Surroi.

In an exclusive interview with B92, Grant said Tuesday that the proposal for a new Kosovo resolution did not in its present shape contain the word independence, but that it would open the path for Kosovo to attain independence which would in the initial phase be supervised by the international community.

“The time has come to define the status of Kosovo, and the Ahtisaari’s proposal is the best solution for the region’s future,” Grant said, adding that the UK that backed Ahtisaari’s plan was hoping the differences regarding the text of a new resolution in the UN Security Council would be surmounted.

“The new document will likely be adopted in several weeks,” he said.

The UK Foreign Office Political Director said he was convinced that the majority in the Council was in favor of a draft resolution that envisaged independence for the province.

“In the aftermath of the UN fact-finding mission’s visit to the region and judging from the current discussion regarding the issue, it is clear that the majority of states in the Council backed Ahtisaari’s plan and the proposal for a new resolution. There are countries that harbor certain reservations, including Russia, and we will see what sort of amendments and proposals regarding the resolution will the Russian government put forward,” he said.