Rupel, Ban, talk Kosovo in New York

Slovenia's foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel is on a visit to the United States, where he yesterday met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Their meeting, it was announced afterwards, focused on the Western Balkans, "Kosovo in particular". Rupel, Ban, talk Kosovo in New York Rupel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2008, "agreed with Ban that cooperation from all participants in the issue was needed", according to Slovenian STA news agency. "We both stressed that joint action is needed… in order to resolve the problems that are not only European. We concluded with joy that we have views of a very similar nature," Rupel was quoted as saying. "We wish to have as little tension and drama as possible, we want a harmonized solving of the crisis, which started as a Yugoslav crisis in 1991," said the foreign minister, and "emphasized the UN's role" in the solving of the Kosovo question. According to Rupel, the secretary-general is "intensely devoted to the problem", while their conversation revealed that he has a few "new ideas, to which we will have to dedicate ourselves and we in the EU will take this into account". Some western media reported earlier this week that Ban, after his visit to Moscow, was mulling renewing the Belgrade-Pristina talks. The Slovenian foreign minister yesterday also said that he predicted "several more meetings on how to arrange things will take place in the next few weeks". "The Serbian elections are coming, and the EU has a few irons in the fire," he was quoted as saying by Beta news agency. Rupel also said that his conversation with Ban included issues such as efforts to avoid new conflict in Kosovo, and the danger of its partition, warning that this "could cause new ethnic cleansing". But he would not reveal any details related to the question of what can be expected in the province "once UNMIK's mandate expires", and added he did not discuss this with Ban. The EU has decided to deploy its mission, EULEX, to Kosovo, but under valid UN Resolution 1244, any new international presence in the province must come after an invitation from the UN secretary-general. Moscow and Belgrade are opposed to the mission, and consider it illegal. "We did not speak about what will happen after UNMIK, but how to best use UNMIK for cooperation and harmonious solving of problems, how to avoid confrontation and the danger of Kosovo's partition," Rupel said. "Serbs don't live only in Mitrovica, but also elsewhere, and we by all means want to avoid a new ethnic cleansing," he said, but did not elaborate. Rupel also met with the president of the International Crisis Group, Gareth Evans. The NGO's leader and the Slovenian foreign minister also discussed Kosovo, it was announced in New York. Rupel is now headed for Washington and talks with officials there. Kosovo will top the agenda once again. Other issues will include the upcoming EU-U.S. summit, scheduled for June in Slovenia. Ban, Rupel, met in New York last night (Tanjug)

Rupel, Ban, talk Kosovo in New York

Rupel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2008, "agreed with Ban that cooperation from all participants in the issue was needed", according to Slovenian STA news agency.

"We both stressed that joint action is needed… in order to resolve the problems that are not only European. We concluded with joy that we have views of a very similar nature," Rupel was quoted as saying.

"We wish to have as little tension and drama as possible, we want a harmonized solving of the crisis, which started as a Yugoslav crisis in 1991," said the foreign minister, and "emphasized the UN's role" in the solving of the Kosovo question.

According to Rupel, the secretary-general is "intensely devoted to the problem", while their conversation revealed that he has a few "new ideas, to which we will have to dedicate ourselves and we in the EU will take this into account".

Some western media reported earlier this week that Ban, after his visit to Moscow, was mulling renewing the Belgrade-Priština talks.

The Slovenian foreign minister yesterday also said that he predicted "several more meetings on how to arrange things will take place in the next few weeks".

"The Serbian elections are coming, and the EU has a few irons in the fire," he was quoted as saying by Beta news agency.

Rupel also said that his conversation with Ban included issues such as efforts to avoid new conflict in Kosovo, and the danger of its partition, warning that this "could cause new ethnic cleansing".

But he would not reveal any details related to the question of what can be expected in the province "once UNMIK's mandate expires", and added he did not discuss this with Ban.

The EU has decided to deploy its mission, EULEX, to Kosovo, but under valid UN Resolution 1244, any new international presence in the province must come after an invitation from the UN secretary-general. Moscow and Belgrade are opposed to the mission, and consider it illegal.

"We did not speak about what will happen after UNMIK, but how to best use UNMIK for cooperation and harmonious solving of problems, how to avoid confrontation and the danger of Kosovo's partition," Rupel said.

"Serbs don't live only in Mitrovica, but also elsewhere, and we by all means want to avoid a new ethnic cleansing," he said, but did not elaborate.

Rupel also met with the president of the International Crisis Group, Gareth Evans. The NGO's leader and the Slovenian foreign minister also discussed Kosovo, it was announced in New York.

Rupel is now headed for Washington and talks with officials there. Kosovo will top the agenda once again. Other issues will include the upcoming EU-U.S. summit, scheduled for June in Slovenia.