28/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - Foreign ministers of the Contact Group on the status of Kosovo (United States, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Russia), as well as EU High Representative Javier Solana, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met in New York on 27 September to prepare direct talks between Serbs and Albanian Kosovars. The discussions were held during the evening of Friday 28 September, in New York. In a statement, the group calls on Belgrade and Pristina to begin these first direct talks “with creativity, boldness and in a spirit of compromise” in order to reach a negotiated solution. Also, any solution needs to be acceptable to the people of Kosovo, ensure international standards implementation with regard to Kosovo's multi-ethnic character and promote the future stability of the region, the Contact Group states. (hb)