Solana, Ischinger ready for Kosovo round

Javier Solana and Wolfgang Ischinger met Sunday in Brussels to prepare for the next round of Kosovo status talks. The EU foreign policy chief and the Union's representative to the Contact Group Troika held detailed discussions on the current negotiations, with the aim of "preparing" a debate among EU foreign ministers on Kosovo and a new round of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels. Solana, Ischinger ready for Kosovo round Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach told Beta news agency that "the stance of the European Union is that the negotiations on the status of Kosovo must go forward, even though the European twenty-seven are conscious of the difficulties and the fact that hitherto there has been very little progress." "But now that the elections in Kosovo have been held, we need to enter the final phase of the process, which must lead to the establishment of Kosovo's status," Gallach said. She explained that Solana and Ischinger had discussed the report that the EU representative in the Troika is to submit to European ministers on November 19. The topic of Solana's and Ischinger's conversation "was closely linked" with working out the details of what will be placed on the negotiating table on November 20 when the Belgrade and Pristina delegations meet, with the mediation of the Troika. Solana and Ischinger "exchanged views" on what has been achieved up till now in the troika's mediating efforts, with the goal of doing everything it can in order to begin the much more creative, substantial final phase by December 10, when the Contact Group's troika is due to submit its report to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "For now, no one wants to get into whether the troika will put on the table any more concrete proposals, and this is precisely what Ischinger, on the eve of the new round of negotiations, will discuss with both the American and Russian representatives in the troika, and so none of that can be made public ahead of time," she said. Gallach announced that Monday evening in Brussels a meeting will take place between President Boris Tadi' and Solana. On Tuesday, after the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, Solana is also to meet with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. Sunday, Russia's representative to the Troika Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko said that, as the Kosovo talks continue, he would champion Belgrade's proposal on the preservation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and added that the neutral status idea, which came from his EU colleague Ischinger, "was not the proposal of the Troika." "The Contact Group mediating Troika still does not have a comprehensive proposal for the future status of Kosovo-Metohija," Botsan-Kharchenko told Tanjug in an interview ahead of a new round of negotiations. He believes it is uncertain whether the envoys will succeed in making a comprehensive proposal by December 10. "We are working on a proposal in view of the ideas presented by the sides, but today I cannot say that there is a prepared comprehensive proposal, and it is difficult to say whether any will be ready. Nobody knows this at the moment and this depends on the result of new negotiations," he said. "For reasons of professional ethics" Botsan-Kharchenko refused to comment on Ischinger's announcement that an agreement on neutral status would be offered to the sides and reiterated that he still did not see any prepared ideas. "I hope that the sides will say something in Brussels, we will also have meetings in Vienna towards the end of November. This might be a longer meeting in the course of several days, like an extended meeting, if there are issues to discuss further," he said and added that this gathering would also be held within the Troika, and not in the form of an international conference. Announcing that the Troika will meet twice ahead of the Tuesday meeting with the sides, Botsan-Kharchenko said everything that had already been discussed would be reviewed once again. "Brussels is the decisive phase for the continuation of negotiations and there are things to talk about, in view of the fact that the Belgrade presented the Hong Kong idea," the Russian diplomat said, and added that he had understood the Serbian proposal "not as a proposal for mechanical implementation, but as an example of how this model can work," and that this proposal "should be taken into consideration." Asked if Moscow has agreed with the 14 items, including those that Belgrade will not rule in Kosovo and that it will not restore its physical presence in the province," he said that "none of the items was a position." Botsan-Kharchenko also said that the 14 items "remained on the table as a topic for discussion."

Solana, Ischinger ready for Kosovo round

Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach told Beta news agency that "the stance of the European Union is that the negotiations on the status of Kosovo must go forward, even though the European twenty-seven are conscious of the difficulties and the fact that hitherto there has been very little progress."

"But now that the elections in Kosovo have been held, we need to enter the final phase of the process, which must lead to the establishment of Kosovo's status," Gallach said.

She explained that Solana and Ischinger had discussed the report that the EU representative in the Troika is to submit to European ministers on November 19.

The topic of Solana's and Ischinger's conversation "was closely linked" with working out the details of what will be placed on the negotiating table on November 20 when the Belgrade and Priština delegations meet, with the mediation of the Troika.

Solana and Ischinger "exchanged views" on what has been achieved up till now in the troika's mediating efforts, with the goal of doing everything it can in order to begin the much more creative, substantial final phase by December 10, when the Contact Group's troika is due to submit its report to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

"For now, no one wants to get into whether the troika will put on the table any more concrete proposals, and this is precisely what Ischinger, on the eve of the new round of negotiations, will discuss with both the American and Russian representatives in the troika, and so none of that can be made public ahead of time," she said.

Gallach announced that Monday evening in Brussels a meeting will take place between President Boris Tadi' and Solana.

On Tuesday, after the negotiations between Belgrade and Priština, Solana is also to meet with Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica.

Sunday, Russia's representative to the Troika Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko said that, as the Kosovo talks continue, he would champion Belgrade's proposal on the preservation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and added that the neutral status idea, which came from his EU colleague Ischinger, "was not the proposal of the Troika."

"The Contact Group mediating Troika still does not have a comprehensive proposal for the future status of Kosovo-Metohija," Botsan-Kharchenko told Tanjug in an interview ahead of a new round of negotiations.

He believes it is uncertain whether the envoys will succeed in making a comprehensive proposal by December 10.

"We are working on a proposal in view of the ideas presented by the sides, but today I cannot say that there is a prepared comprehensive proposal, and it is difficult to say whether any will be ready. Nobody knows this at the moment and this depends on the result of new negotiations," he said.

"For reasons of professional ethics" Botsan-Kharchenko refused to comment on Ischinger's announcement that an agreement on neutral status would be offered to the sides and reiterated that he still did not see any prepared ideas.

"I hope that the sides will say something in Brussels, we will also have meetings in Vienna towards the end of November. This might be a longer meeting in the course of several days, like an extended meeting, if there are issues to discuss further," he said and added that this gathering would also be held within the Troika, and not in the form of an international conference.

Announcing that the Troika will meet twice ahead of the Tuesday meeting with the sides, Botsan-Kharchenko said everything that had already been discussed would be reviewed once again.

"Brussels is the decisive phase for the continuation of negotiations and there are things to talk about, in view of the fact that the Belgrade presented the Hong Kong idea," the Russian diplomat said, and added that he had understood the Serbian proposal "not as a proposal for mechanical implementation, but as an example of how this model can work," and that this proposal "should be taken into consideration."

Asked if Moscow has agreed with the 14 items, including those that Belgrade will not rule in Kosovo and that it will not restore its physical presence in the province," he said that "none of the items was a position."

Botsan-Kharchenko also said that the 14 items "remained on the table as a topic for discussion."