Russia against temporal frames for Kosovo status talks

ITAR-TASS (RUSSIAN FEDERATION), 14.09.2006, 03.26

UNITED NATIONS, September 14 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia believes that only a negotiated, compromise-based solution regarding Kosovo's future status, and not a unilateral, dictated one, may be supported by the UN Security Council and will not create a negative precedent in the context of international crisis settlement, Russia's permanent representative at the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, said at the UN Security Council's meeting on Kosovo.

Although the process of determining Kosovo's future status is continuing with the participation of senior representatives from both parties, the UN Secretary-General is disappointed there are too few points of agreement between the Serbian and Kosovar delegations. In the report to the Security Council the UN Secretary-General said the Serbian side is committed to a considerable autonomy, while the Kosovar delegation presses for full independence, which leaves minimal opportunities for talks.

Moscow believes that achieving specific, effective progress in standardization is one of the crucial factors for the pace and productiveness of the negotiating process on Kosovo's future status, Churkin said.

The Russian ambassador opposed the idea of establishing any arbitrary time frames for the negotiating process as a counterproductive measure.