State Dept.: Kosovo to be settled outside UN

Daniel Fried says the Kosovo crisis will have to be resolved outwith the UN Security Council. “We’d prefer Kosovo’s status to be settled within the Security Council. However, Russia has blocked every resolution to settle Kosovo’s status,” the assistant secretary of state told Voice of America (VOA) radio in Washington. State Dept.: Kosovo to be settled outside UN “As the Council has reached an impasse, we’ve decided that we cannot accept long-term deadlock. There are certain problems that don’t get better with time,” said the U.S. official. In his opinion, the status quo is not a solution either for Kosovo or Serbia, while there was no chance of a return to the past, he told VOA. Fried reiterated that talks under Contact Group Troika auspices had failed, not because of a lack of time, but because it had been impossible to bridge the gap between Belgrade and Pristina’s standpoints. “That’s reality and nothing to do with the U.S.’s position, but the opinion of Wolfgang Ischinger and the Troika. Ischinger said that talks were over and that it was not possible to find a solution,” said the U.S. official. According to earlier STA reports, Fried said that Washington officials would decide on the date for recognition of Kosovo's independence “together with Europe when the time comes.” Samardzic scathing of Rice comments Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardzic has criticized U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for exerting pressure on Serbia. Samardzic said yesterday that Rice’s latest statement demonstrated that the U.S. would continue its policy of pressure on Serbia, its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “This policy is being followed outwith the UN system. At the last session of the UN Security Council, Western states led by the U.S. blocked a resumption of negotiations on Kosovo’s status,” he told Tanjug. Rice said on Friday in Washington that important decisions on Kosovo's status should be taken in the coming weeks and that inactivity would lead to fresh instability in the Balkans. The endeavors of the international mediating Troika were at an end, she told a press conference. “Serbia will not accept this, nor will most other countries, including some world powers,” Samardzic said. “The worst case scenario would be if the UN Secretariat were to give in to U.S. pressure and blackmail, and if Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were to flout UN SC rules and send a new mission to Kosovo to replace UNMIK,” he stressed. “Such a development would be really unacceptable and constitute an open violation of the UN system. In that event, influential countries should react,” he noted. Samardzic expressed the hope that Ban would not overstep his powers and that the process would continue within the UN system.

State Dept.: Kosovo to be settled outside UN

“As the Council has reached an impasse, we’ve decided that we cannot accept long-term deadlock. There are certain problems that don’t get better with time,” said the U.S. official.

In his opinion, the status quo is not a solution either for Kosovo or Serbia, while there was no chance of a return to the past, he told VOA.

Fried reiterated that talks under Contact Group Troika auspices had failed, not because of a lack of time, but because it had been impossible to bridge the gap between Belgrade and Priština’s standpoints.

“That’s reality and nothing to do with the U.S.’s position, but the opinion of Wolfgang Ischinger and the Troika. Ischinger said that talks were over and that it was not possible to find a solution,” said the U.S. official.

According to earlier STA reports, Fried said that Washington officials would decide on the date for recognition of Kosovo's independence “together with Europe when the time comes.”

Samardžić scathing of Rice comments

Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardžić has criticized U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for exerting pressure on Serbia.

Samardžić said yesterday that Rice’s latest statement demonstrated that the U.S. would continue its policy of pressure on Serbia, its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“This policy is being followed outwith the UN system. At the last session of the UN Security Council, Western states led by the U.S. blocked a resumption of negotiations on Kosovo’s status,” he told Tanjug.

Rice said on Friday in Washington that important decisions on Kosovo's status should be taken in the coming weeks and that inactivity would lead to fresh instability in the Balkans.

The endeavors of the international mediating Troika were at an end, she told a press conference.

“Serbia will not accept this, nor will most other countries, including some world powers,” Samardžić said.

“The worst case scenario would be if the UN Secretariat were to give in to U.S. pressure and blackmail, and if Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were to flout UN SC rules and send a new mission to Kosovo to replace UNMIK,” he stressed.

“Such a development would be really unacceptable and constitute an open violation of the UN system. In that event, influential countries should react,” he noted.

Samardžić expressed the hope that Ban would not overstep his powers and that the process would continue within the UN system.