Brussels, 07/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of their attendance of the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Portugal on Friday 7 September, EU High Representative for the CFSP Javier Solana met the EU representative in the EU-Russia-US troika for Kosovo, Wolfgang Ischinger, who assured Solana that no stone would be left unturned in the troika process, which will be concluded by 10 December 2007. 'The EU is determined to remain united on this issue in defence of European interests, notably the stability and prosperity and European future of the Balkans,' explains a press release published after their meeting.
Under the aegis of the US, Russian and EU troika representatives to the Contact Group, the new phase of talks (which opened last week) aims to negotiate a solution between Belgrade and Pristina. The EU27 foreign ministers will discuss progress at their Gymnich-type meeting. All scenarios seem to be possible and a division of Kosovo is being considered in the event of the talks breaking down, with the north remaining part of Serbia and the rest becoming an independent state of Kosovo.
This hypothesis has been rejected in principle by the parties concerned, with Kosovan Prime Minister Agim Ceku calling for an independent Kosovo with the current borders, and with the Serb authorities refusing to consider any form of self-determination. After his meeting with the Serb foreign minister on Wednesday (see EUROPE 9495), EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the EU held by the principles set out by the Contact Group, which do not include partition. Rehn went on, however, to say that nearly all the salutations acceptable to the Serbs and Kosovans were also acceptable to the EU. (ab)