UN Radio
Week in review
By Birol Urcan
·
Parliament
resolution ?
·
Goldberg recommended Parliament not to approve draft resolution
·
Jessen-Petersen pro resolution, but as a platform for the
Negotiations Team
·
Marti Ahtisari visits Pristina on
Monday
·
Thaci optimistic that Ahtisaari and his team
will be efficient
·
KPC will be Kosovo’s defense force says
president Rugova
·
Solution for Kosovo's status will be close to
my plan says Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek
*
*
The Chief of US Office in Pristina Philip Goldberg recommended the
Parliament not to approve the draft resolution on independence, emphasizing
that it represents a unilateral step at the time when we are entering into a
multilateral process for determining of Kosovo’s future.
U.S. Diplomat Goldberg made these comments on Tuesday evening following a
meeting with parliament speaker Nexhat Daci.
“As it now stands this resolution, in my opinion, as well at that
of my Government, presents a unilateral step at a time when we are entering a
multilateral process that will determine the future status of Kosovo,” said
Goldberg.
On the other hand The Head of UNMIK Soren
Jessen-Petersen reemphasized today the stance of UNMIK that the resolution for
independence could serve as a framework forthe Negotiations Team, but not as a
decision of governmental institutions.
*
Marti Ahtisari a special envoy of the secretary general for
negotiations on Kosovos future status will visit Prishtina on Monday 21 of
November report the local media.
Quoting a UNMIK Press release media reported that Ahtisari with
his crew after visiting Pristina will fly to Belgrade, Podgorica, Skopje and
Tirana.
In Brussels On Monday November the 14 Ahtisari said that his first and foremost goal would be to
encourage Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, Belgrade and Pristina, to engage in
direct talks.
*
The head of PDK Hashim Thaci said on Tuesday that the appointment
of Ahtisaari in the post of the UN Special Envoy is good news, expressing
confidence that Ahtisaari’s team will be functional and efficient in the
negotiations process, which is expected to start soon.
The Chairman of the Democratic Party made those comments following
a meeting with the Chief of Finnish Office in Pristina Markku Lamanen.
Thaci also expressed his readiness to intensify cooperation with
the Finnish Office in order to ensure that the process for resolving of
Kosovo’s status goes on the right track.
*
President Ibrahim Rugova said that the Kosovo Protection Corps
(KPC) will have his full support to be defense force in the future.
Rugova made these comments during a meeting with the KPC Commander
Gen Lt Agim Ceku Tuesday.
We discussed about the future of KPC and I promised to the General
that he will have my and Kosovo institutions full support in order to be a Kosovos
defense force in the future,” Rugova said.
While Gen. Ceku said that “this was more than a formal meeting,
given the process Kosovo is going through”.
*
Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek said on Saturday that Kosovo's
status will be close to his nine-point plan he offered to Belgrade, Pristina,
and to the international community few weeks ago.
"Kosovo's status will be close to my plan, which is also the
stance of Slovenian institutions for resolving of Kosovo's political
status," Drnovsek said following his meetings with the Head of UNMIK
Pillar II Jean Dussourd.
Also, Drnovsek had a meeting with Kosovo's President Ibrahim
Rugova behind the closed doors. After the meeting Rugova stressed that the
direct recognition of independence would be the best solution.
*
Local media in
Serbia report that Serbian authorities
are negotiating the surrender of Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic.
Aides to Prime Minister
of Serbia Vojislav Kostunica and Interior Minister of Republika Srpska Darko
Matijasevic reportedly, established contact with the fugitive earlier this
month.
There are also reports
of ongoing talks for the surrender of fugitive Stojan Zupljanin.
Rumours of Mladic's impending
surrender have circulated in the past, only to come to naught.
On Friday, UN war crimes
tribunal President Theodor Meron urged Kostunica to step up co-operation with
the international court.