Brussels, 02/08/2007 (Agence Europe) - With US, Russian and EU officials having been appointed, negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on the future status of Kosovo could begin very quickly (see EUROPE 9480). “… the talks will start probably around the middle of the month of August,” said EU High Representative for the CFSP Javier Solana on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in the Philippines. It is likely to be the UN secretary general who will make the first call to the parties to begin new talks, said Mr Solana, quoted by Reuters. The negotiations are expected to last around 120 days according to the Europeans, but the Russians are against setting up any such deadline.
While remaining opposed to the independence of Kosovo under international supervision, as proposed in the Ahtisaari plan, Belgrade is “prepared to give up a lot of things”, but Pristina, too, would have to make concessions, said Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic on Wednesday 1 August. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Jeremic said that Serbia was prepared to grant Kosovo “the widest possible autonomy in the world”. It would also agree to “some kind of representation abroad” for the Serbian province and direct access to international financial institutions (like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund). “Any contribution from each side which would bring us closer to a solution is welcomed,” a European Commission spokeswoman said, without wishing to comment further on the Serbian position. (ab)