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UN Security Council members divided in opinion on Kosovo-Metohija status issue

Belgrade, 16 December 2006

Coordinator in the Serbian state team for negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic said today that UN Security Council members, who are to bring a decision on a peaceful and compromise solution regarding the future status of Kosovo-Metohija, were widely divided in their positions at the last session of the Security Council.

In a statement to the news agency Tanjug, Samardzic said that this shows that there are differences not just within the Security Council but also in the Contact Group. He warned that it should be kept in mind that members of these two bodies are to bring the most important decisions regarding the continuation of the process of negotiations, as well as contribution to a peaceful and compromise solution for the future status of Kosovo-Metohija.

He stressed that in this context the role of UN Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari and his proposal for determining the future status of Kosovo-Metohija, which he is supposed to present by the end of January or beginning of February, should also be examined.

The contents of this document are of less interest to us than what the Contact Group, and later the Security Council will say concerning it, stressed Samardzic, and added that Ahtisaari’s proposal should be based on the general policy of the Contact Group regarding Kosovo-Metohija.

Samardzic explained that that means this document should, above all, be examined by the Contact Group who should take a stand regarding it before Belgrade and Pristina consider it.

According to Samardzic, the Contact Group must beforehand establish minimum consensus regarding the document, because Ahtisaari, besides being obliged to behave in accordance with his mandate, should also conduct a policy and present a document in strict cooperation and coordination with the Contact Group.

He said that we should move in the direction of opening a new round of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on the basis of the proposal presented by Ahtisaari, which should be approved by the Contact Group, and serve as a framework for the further development of the negotiation process in a normal manner, to reach the Security Council at the end which will bring a decision on it.