“Russia won’t accept imposed solution”

“Russia won’t accept imposed solution”

The only good and sound outcome will be the one acceptable to both sides, the Russian minister said at a Council of Europe session in Strasbourg. He added the Contact Group is not the one that should determine the Kosovo talks result, rather that this should be achieved by the negotiating parties: Belgrade, Albanian leaders, and Kosovo Serbs.

Lavrov stressed several times that the Kosovo status solution must be reached through negotiations resulting in an outcome acceptable to all.

Koštunica: Ahtisaari astonished me

PM and his advisor reacted differently to Ahtisaari’s statement on Kosovo solution postponement.

While Vojislav Koštunica describes the statement as “astonishing“, adding that the UN mediator has no mandate to determine election dates in sovereign countries, his advisor Vladeta Janković sees Ahtisaari’s statement as a step in the right direction.

“The government and the state institutions have a timetable, the Parliament has adopted the constitution, citizens are expected to confirm it in a referendum, the general election follows. I will see to it that it takes place as soon as possible, these are the priorities for us: constitution adoption, referendum, elections”, Koštunica said.

Ahtisaari told Finnish television station ILE that his plan will have to wait for the results of the elections, which may be held in Serbia in December.

Unlike the Serbian Prime Minister, his chief advisor Vladeta Janković told B92 that Ahtisaari’s stance is a step in the right direction.

“It is a lot better to discuss the final Kosovo status solution after the situation within Serbia gains stability, after the constitution is adopted, the elections are completed and the entire structure gets back on its feet. It will then be more capable of meritoriously reaching a final solution.” Janković said.

He said that the change in Ahtisaari’s stance is probably a result of international pressure being put on his office, adding that the pressure was completely justified.

“It is possible that they are afraid of destabilization in Serbia and potentially the entire region, if a dramatically bad decision for Serbia is made.” Janković said.