http://www.b92.net/eng/news/in_focus.php?id=91&start=0&nav_id=45804
[Mr. Burns came to his current position in the State Department from his former one of US ambassador to NATO.] B92 (Serbia) November 29, 2007 State Dept.: "Certain decisions" must be taken The State Dept. has warned “certain decisions” will have to be taken should the Kosovo crisis remain unresolved. Speaking today at an OSCE summit in Madrid, State Department Under Secretary Nicholas Burns said that “I don’t want to make any forecasts as to what that might entail until we see how things stand on December 10, but I must say that significant differences exist between Russia and the U.S.” According to Burns, December 10 will be followed by a “transitional period”, where everyone will have to do “what they must,” reports the BBC. He hopes that Russia will conduct itself “constructively” and accept “the reality on the ground” in Kosovo, while encouraging the Serbian government to accept a compromise [sic]. “Over the last year and a half, we have not seen the Serbian government’s willingness to do so,” concluded Burns. ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.b92.net/eng/news/in_focus.php?id=91&start=0&nav_id=45809 B92 (Serbia) November 29, 2007 Alekseyev: December not end to Kosovo story Russia believes it is necessary to continue Kosovo negotiations, Ambassador Aleksandr Alekseyev says. The top Russian representative to Serbia told a news conference Thursday in Belgrade that his country is urging further negotiations over the province's status, and added it viewed them as "necessary". "December is not the end of the story, it is only a date for a report to the Security Council. As far as the negotiations are concerned we are certain that only negotiations and a compromise solution are possible, and that would be good for Southeastern Europe," Alekseyev said. When asked whether Russia was under pressure over its Kosovo stance, Alekseyev said that there was pressure but that it had "nothing to do with Russia's position". "Our position is principled and we are ready to work very consistently," Alekseyev said and dismissed claims that Russia was working against Europe and Europe against Russia, when it comes to Kosovo. "We are not against Europe, we are together with Europe, but have our own positions. In our view respect for international law is primarily in the interest of Europe and European security," the Russian diplomat assessed. When asked how Russia would react in the event of a declaration of Kosovo's independence, Alekseyev said that his country was "trying to head off something like that". "That is why we are pushing further negotiations, in the aim to arrive at a compromise solution," Alekseyev said and added out he was "not ready to talk about a unilateral declaration of independence", as that would be "the worst solution". Serbian News Network - SNN [email protected] http://www.antic.org/
