Presidents of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia discuss future of Kosovo

Associated Press, Dec 14, 2005 3:13 PM

 

SKOPJE, Macedonia-The presidents of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia began talks late Wednesday on the future status of Kosovo.

 

Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, Serbian President Boris Tadic and Bulgarian President Georgi Pervanov are at the lake resort of Ohrid, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Skopje.

 

The informal two-day meeting will also focus on regional cooperation and infrastructure projects in border areas, officials said.

 

The three presidents are expected to release a joint statement Thursday.

 

Kosovo, officially a province of Serbia-Montenegro, has been administered by the United Nations since a 1999 NATO bombing campaign halted the Serbian crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.

 

U.N.-mediated talks to determine whether Kosovo will remain part of Serbia or gain independence are to begin in January.