Washington warns Priština against unilateral moves

Washington warns Priština against unilateral moves

Kosovo leaders said in Washington Monday that they would not unilaterally declare independence, but they stressed their devotion to achieving independence, Reuters reported.

The Kosovo leaders made the statement at a meeting the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"They made clear that the intensity of their desire for independence has not and will not change, but they will not go off on their own. They will work with the U.S. and Europe," said a high U.S. official, who attended the meeting.

According to the same source, Rice urged Priština to be patient, but also stressed the U.S. commitment to Kosovo independence.

"She talked about the need for all of us to do this together, working together," said the official, who wished to remain anonymous.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said that the meeting of the Kosovo delegation with Rice was very important "in the process which will eventually lead to independence for the province."

Sejdiu said that the platform of the Kosovo negotiation team has been confirmed, which maintains that it will not back down from independence.

Sejdiu also said that the Contact Group and United Nations Secretary General will be directly included in the next phase of the status process.

“The offered formula of 120 days could represent a deadline for reaching a solution. This deadline will come quickly and it does not call for any new postponements,” Sejdiu said.

Even though he did not directly confirm the participation of the Kosovo Albanian side, Sejdiu said that outcome was probable.

“We will give our best efforts to show that we are dedicated and that we can function as a country,” Sejdiu said.

In a statement to Reuters after the meeting, Kosovo delegation member Skender Hyseni said "the Kosovo unity team has once again reassured the U.S. that we remain close partners of the U.S. and the EU in bringing the independence process to a close."

"Kosovo never said actually it was going to declare independence unilaterally without having consulted with our key partners in the international community," Hyseni stressed.

The Kosovo delegation visiting Washington is headed by the president and the premier, Fatmir Sejdiu and Agim Ceku, and also includes Assembly Speaker Kol Berisha and the leaders of the Democratic Party of Kosovo and ORA party, Hashim Thaci and Veton Surroi, respectively.

EU: Shuttle diplomacy, no time limit

Beta reports that EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana announced Monday new Kosovo negotiations will not be subject to time limits.

Solana added that a shuttle diplomacy initiative will start in August in an attempt to bridge the gap between the EU Troika, the U.S., and Russia.

Afterwards, Solana said, the three sides would take steps to bring Belgrade and Priština to the negotiating table.

He went on to say that the 120-day deadline included in the latest draft Security Council resolution is still on many people's minds, although it no longer applies.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner expressed a similar view, saying that a conference involving the U.S., the EU Troika, and Russia would get the Kosovo talks off the ground by the end of August, provided that Moscow and Washington agree.

He went on to say that if the new talks fail to produce results after 120 days, the original plan put forth by Martti Ahtisaari will be back on the table, adding that the EU needs to maintain its unity and mediate in the talks.

According to Kouchner, this is the most urgent problem facing the EU, and he add that if EU officials had voted on Kosovo today, the situation would have ended in an impasse.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos stressed that the EU has to focus its energy and diplomatic efforts on avoiding the unilateral recognition of Kosovo.