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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Belgrade offers everything, except right to state

Belgrade/New York, 27 September 2007

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said tonight in New York that the aim of the talks in New York on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija should be to reach a compromise and added that the Contact Group’s mediating “troika” should point that out.

We expect that international community will prevent all attempts to one-sidedly block the seeking for a mutually acceptable solution, Kostunica stressed after meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov.

He told the press that tomorrow’s direct meeting in New York between the authorities of Serbia and Kosovo’s provisional institutions “may be the last chance for all participants in the negotiating process to find a mutually acceptable solution” for the status of Serbia’s southern province.

According to him, the solution should be based on the respect of territorial sovereignty, taking into account interests of both Serbia and Kosovo and respecting international law.

Speaking on the possibility of granting independence to the province, Kostunica said that Serbia’s territorial interests must be respected and reiterated that plan of UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari does not respect Serbia’s interests and that official Belgrade expects a different solution to the “Kosovo issue”.

We are getting ready for direct negotiations tomorrow, for the second time this year; these will be very short negotiations with the Kosovo Albanians and representatives of the “troika”. I reiterate that this is maybe the last chance for all participants in the negotiating process to state they want to reach a compromise, and not to get the unilateral independence of Kosovo, the Serbian Prime Minister warned.

Lavrov said just before the meeting of the Contact Group in New York that official Moscow is in favour of a collective approach and noted that the Kosovo issue should be solved within the “troika” comprising Russia, United States and EU.

We will support that collective approach and the managing principles agreed on within the “troika”, Lavrov said and noted that Russia will support the two sides to negotiate and seek a solution.

He said that he will tell his partners in the Contact Group that statements in favour of Kosovo’s independence are contradictory to finding a compromise solution.

Kostunica told RTS tonight that Belgrade is ready to offer to Kosovo Albanians the status of most favoured national minority on firm condition they will not question Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

He said that in today’s meeting with Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the US State Department Nicholas Burns, he underlined that Kosovo Albanians would be the only national minority with the right to a state if their claims are satisfied.

Belgrade is offering everything, except for the right to state, the Serbian Prime Minister stressed and warned Burns of very serious consequences of the province’s independence. He also added that this is the last chance for the United States to re-examine its position as regards to Kosovo-Metohija.

The United States should stop talking about independence as the unavoidable outcome, Kostunica said and stressed that Albanians in Kosovo are offered 95% of jurisdictions in the province.

Kostunica said that the prerequisite for any talks is the future status of the province, noting that all other issues will be solved more easily later.

Kostunica rejected earlier today any possibly for establishing a confederation of Serbia and Kosovo-Metohija, that Italian Foreign Minister Massimo d'Alema presented to him in an informal meeting in New York. Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic told Tanjug news agency that this proposal is utterly unacceptable for Serbia as Kosovo would thus gain some kind of status in international community and in gaining that status Serbia would be taking part.

Samardzic said that the Serbian side acknowledged that no time should be wasted on such proposals and voiced hope for a more constructive approach based on international law.

He also said that this should be followed by the negotiating process whose result would be an autonomous status of Kosovo within Serbia.

The Serbian negotiating team, led by Serbian President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, is in New York where they will meet tomorrow with representatives of Kosovo-Metohija’s provisional institutions.

After meeting with Lavrov and Burns, Kostunica met tonight with EU’s representative in the mediating “troika” Wolfgang Ischinger, whereas Serbian President Boris Tadic spoke with German Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Ollie Rehn. Earlier today, Tadic held a speech in the UN headquarters.