Troika seeks consensus in Kosovo talks

Troika seeks consensus in Kosovo talks

"We are not here to make suggestions, we are here to seek a consensus. We will accept whatever both sides agree on," U.S. envoy Frank Wisner said.

The EU's representative in the Troika, Wolfgang Ischinger, said that the future of Kosovo was a very important issue for the future of Europe.

"This is a good start of a very difficult process," he said, reminding all present about the eight years the EU spent "politically and otherwise" investing in Kosovo.

Russia's Alexandar Botsan-Kharchenko said after the meetings with NATO Mission in Kosovo (KFOR), UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and Kosovo Albanian officials, that the Kosovo status issue must remain within the UN Security Council framework.

"We will facilitate a compromise solution, via an agreement between Belgrade and Priština," Beta quoted the diplomat.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, however, told journalists that the province's independence was "non negotiable."

On behalf of the Priština team, Sejdiu presented the Troika with a platform for talks, which states that Kosovo's "independence and territorial integrity" cannot be a subject of negotiations.

The three envoys will also meet with the leaders of the Kosovo Serbs Sunday morning.

Friday, Ischinger told B92, after a meeting with President Boris Tadić and Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica, that while Martti Ahtisaatri's Kosovo status plan was the only existing blueprint the Troika was ready to accept any solution agreed on by Belgrade and Priština.

Former foreign minister in the Đinđić cabinet and current Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe official, Goran Svilanović, says the major issue that needs clarification as the talks start is whether or not the Ahtisaari plan is still on the table.

He also said the primary goal of this new round of talks is to "drag Russia in" to the negotiations, since previously Ahtisaari led the process while Moscow "stood on the sidelines in the Contact Group and criticized."

"Now the Troika shares responsibility for any outcome. I think the first result will be precisely this, that Moscow, Washington and Brussels will equally share the responsibility for the result, whatever it may be," Svilanović told B92.

The second goal of the renewed negotiations, according to him, is to create unity in the EU over the Kosovo status issue, which is currently lacking.