Wisner: "Intensified" negotiations needed for Kosovo solution

31/07/2006

Both sides in the Kosovo status negotiations need to show flexibility so that an agreement can be reached before year's end, US envoy Frank Wisner said during visits to Belgrade and Pristina.

By Blerta Foniqi for Southeast European Times in Pristina – 31/07/06

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu (right) welcomes US special envoy for the Kosovo status talks Frank Wisner to Pristina on Thursday (27 July). [Laura Hasani]

The US special envoy for the Kosovo status process, Frank Wisner, was in Belgrade and Pristina last week for talks with the two sides. While the United States continues to push for a solution this year, it does not want to prejudice the negotiations by taking a stance on Kosovo's future, he said.

"We will not give our opinions on the Kosovo status in this phase, because we feel that it is important to reach an agreement between the two sides and the negotiators," he said.

Flexibility is needed from both negotiating teams during the new, "sped-up" phase of discussions, the envoy said. "There are only weeks ahead of intensified negotiations. Reaching realistic solutions to those negotiations should be all of our top priority, and to get that work behind us before we start looking at the next step," he said.

Although Washington does not advocate a particular solution, it does strongly back the Contact Group's position that there should be no division of Kosovo, according to Wisner.

The principle of no partition "is both respected in international practice of law, and is a political principle important to all nations in this western Balkan area," Wisner said. The ability to maintain stability and peace in the region is directly connected with it, he added.

Furthermore, Wisner said, any agreement that is reached must be one that protects the minorities in Kosovo and enables them to lead a decent life. He stressed the need to implement specific measures, including "realistic solutions" meant to safeguard churches, cultural heritage and municipalities.

Wisner's visit came on the heels of the so-called "elephants' meeting" of high-level Serbian and Kosovo Albanian leaders in Vienna. Although the delegations did little more than lay out their entrenched positions on Kosovo -- with the Albanian side seeking, and the Serbian side opposing, full independence -- the session was nevertheless viewed as a milestone.

Meanwhile, a new round of technical talks is scheduled for 7-8 August. The focus will be decentralisation and minority rights.