05 November 2006

Ahtisaari asked to make efforts to continue negotiations on Kosovo-Metohija

RELIEF WEB (SWITZERLAND)

Source: Government of Serbia
Date: 10 Oct 2006

Belgrade, Oct 10, 2006 - Director of the Serbian government's Office of Media Relations Srdjan Djuric stated that the government today called upon UN Special Envoy for Kosovo-Metohija Marti Ahtisaari to make all necessary efforts to ensure that talks on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija are continued and a just solution, which is in accordance with international law, is found for the province.

In a statement to the news agency Tanjug, Djuric said that Ahtisaari's latest statement, that a solution cannot be found through negotiations, is perhaps the strangest of all his statements thus far.

He recalled that the mandate given to Ahtisaari by the UN authorises him solely to allow two sides to find a solution through talks which is acceptable for both sides and is based on compromise.

Djuric pointed to the fact that the Serbian government firmly insisted from the very beginning that constant and direct talks are held with ethnic-Albanian representatives, and added that a compromise and historically just solution is the aim which we should all try to achieve together.

Substantial autonomy, founded on clear democratic principles, is now guaranteed for the province through the Constitution. Following the announcement of the new Constitution it is the right moment for Ahtisaari to fulfil his mandate and make all necessary efforts to continue the negotiations in order to reach a just solution for the province in accordance with international law, said Djuric.