http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/6827/
Troika Report Seals Negotiations' Failure 07 December 2007 Brussels _ The international troika on Kosovo confirmed in its final report delivered to the Secretary- General of the UN that efforts toward achieving negotiated solution were unsuccessful because “neither party was willing to cede its position on the fundamental question of sovereignty over Kosovo”. “This is regrettable as a negotiated settlement is in the best interest of both parties”, the troika said in the report submitted to the UN on Friday, seen by Balkan Insight. Representatives of the International Troika, EU`s Wolfgang Ischniger, American Frenk Wiezner, and Russian Alexandar Botzan-Kharchenko confirmed all the topics that were discussed during 120 days period. “In the course of our work, the parties discussed a wide range of options, such as full independence, supervised independence, territorial partition, substantial autonomy, confederal arrangements and even status silent ‘agreement to disagree’”, the report confirms. However troika emphasized that it “did not dwell on the option of territorial partition’, although it has been broached. However, this has been refused by all parties, including the Contact group. In its conclusions, the international troika confirmed that both parties were fully engaged during a 120 days period, but regrettably concludes that agreement was not possible. As an important achievement, the troika mentions the fact that parties pledged to refrain from violence. “In particular, both parties pledged to refrain from actions that might jeopardize the security situation in Kosovo or elsewhere and not use violence, threats or intimidation”, the report says. “Both parties must be reminded that their failure to live up to these commitments will affect the achievement of the European future that they both seek”. Although the troika failed to mediate a compromise based solution, the three representatives took note of the fact that Kosovo and Serbia will be tied for a long time. “Kosovo and Serbia will continue to be tied together due to a special nature of their relationship, especially on its historical, human, geographical, economical and cultural dimensions”, troika assesses. “We strongly believe that the settlement of Kosovo status would contribute to fulfilment of the European aspirations of both parties”, the troika concludes in the report.
