Brussels, 23/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - Europa Nostra, the pan-European federation for the protection of cultural heritage, appeals to all stakeholders directly involved in the Kosovo status negotiations to place the cultural heritage at the very heart of this process. “Given the fact that cultural heritage became one of the key elements at stake during the conflict, Europa Nostra believes that it should also be central to the current efforts to find a lasting solution for a peaceful and prosperous European future of Kosovo”, said Otto von der Gablentz and Denis de Kergolay, President and Vice-President of Europa Nostra respectively. While recognising certain positive developments in the efforts made by the European Union and the Council of Europe with a view to protecting Kosovo's cultural heritage, Europa Nostra is still concerned about: - the delays of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) Kosovo in adopting appropriate legal and policy instruments to protect cultural heritage; - persistent security threats to Serb Orthodox monuments; - persistent lack of trust and dialogue between the various communities living in Kosovo; - and the insufficient legal action against the perpetrators of criminal acts resulting in the destruction of cultural heritage. This message was forwarded to Martti Ahtisaari, Kofi Annan's Special Representative for negotiations on the future status of Kosovo, to the members of the negotiating teams of the Serbian Government and of the PISG, and to the six nations contact group (Germany ;France, Italy, Russia, UK, USA) and to the EU. Europa Nostra points out that, from the beginning of this year, it will provide those interested with a complete report setting out specific recommendations.