Solana, Ban to "step up" dialogue on EULEX

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana met on Thursday to discuss the functioning of the EULEX mission in Kosovo. Although they failed to reach any concrete agreement, they expressed their intention to continue and step up dialogue on this issue, sources in the EU Council of Ministers told Tanjug on Friday. Solana, Ban to "step up" dialogue on EULEX The crucial message from the meeting was that the dialogue would continue and be stepped up, the sources said. The sources did not want to speculate about the details of the talks in Stockholm, but said that the idea for EULEX to be placed under UNMIK auspices was "one of the options" being considered. According to the sources, in Brussels it is clear that the EU and the UN should reach a kind of agreement for the EU mission to begin functioning. It is not good to have an overlap of powers, and it is not good for five organizations to be doing one and the same thing in the field, it is said in the EU. In the meantime, EULEX continues its deployment, so a new contingent is expected in Kosovo next week. Ban Ki-moon (FoNet, archive) "EULEX in Kosovo only if in line with UN principles" Meanwhile in Moscow, Russia’s permanent representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov says the EU mission would only have the right to operate in Kosovo if the deployment was in line with UN principles, and if it had Serbia’s approval. Chizhov said that Russia did not oppose the EU having a certain role in the resolution of the Kosovo issue, and added that it would not have any objections to the mission being sent to the province with a corresponding legal basis. “However, for this we need a UN Security Council resolution, which we still do not have,” Chizhov said in an interview for the Moscow-based daily Vremya Novostei. The Russian diplomat said that the EU was now making unsuccessful attempts to reach an agreement with the UN on the transfer of powers from the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to EULEX. Such a transfer without Security Council approval is illegitimate, which the the UN Secretariat is aware of, Chizhov underlined.

Solana, Ban to "step up" dialogue on EULEX

The crucial message from the meeting was that the dialogue would continue and be stepped up, the sources said.

The sources did not want to speculate about the details of the talks in Stockholm, but said that the idea for EULEX to be placed under UNMIK auspices was "one of the options" being considered.

According to the sources, in Brussels it is clear that the EU and the UN should reach a kind of agreement for the EU mission to begin functioning.

It is not good to have an overlap of powers, and it is not good for five organizations to be doing one and the same thing in the field, it is said in the EU.

In the meantime, EULEX continues its deployment, so a new contingent is expected in Kosovo next week.

"EULEX in Kosovo only if in line with UN principles"

Meanwhile in Moscow, Russia’s permanent representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov says the EU mission would only have the right to operate in Kosovo if the deployment was in line with UN principles, and if it had Serbia’s approval.

Chizhov said that Russia did not oppose the EU having a certain role in the resolution of the Kosovo issue, and added that it would not have any objections to the mission being sent to the province with a corresponding legal basis.

“However, for this we need a UN Security Council resolution, which we still do not have,” Chizhov said in an interview for the Moscow-based daily Vremya Novostei.

The Russian diplomat said that the EU was now making unsuccessful attempts to reach an agreement with the UN on the transfer of powers from the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to EULEX.

Such a transfer without Security Council approval is illegitimate, which the the UN Secretariat is aware of, Chizhov underlined.