http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080221/99820960.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
February 21, 2008
Moscow calls for resumption of Kosovo status talks
MOSCOW - Russia's foreign minister called on Thursday
for talks on the status of Kosovo, whose parliament
declared independence on February 17, to be resumed.
Tensions have escalated in Belgrade, with thousands of
Serbs gathering in the capital to protest against
Kosovo's independence. Groups of activists broke into
United States and Croatian embassies in protest
against the countries' support for Kosovo's secession.
Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow: "Talks on
Kosovo's status should be restarted," and warned that
the unilateral declaration could have consequences
which "could harm Russia's relations with the EU and
the United States."
He said the Kosovo issue has prevented the
international community from dealing with other
outstanding problems.
A senior Russian MP said on Thursday that Kosovo would
be unable to become a real state.
"Kosovo has no chance of acquiring full-fledged
statehood," said Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the
International Affairs Committee at the State Duma.
Belgrade has recalled its ambassador from Italy, which
earlier today had recognized Kosovo's independence.
Serbia earlier recalled its ambassador to Washington.
As well as the protests in Belgrade, violence broke
out on the Kosovan border on Thursday, with hundreds
of Serbs getting into fights with Czech soldiers
deployed by the International KFOR mission.
In Banja Luka, the Serbian part of Bosnia, around a
thousand people took to the streets. The demonstrators
shouted slogans against the Albanian population of
Kosovo and burned European Union, German and United
States flags.
Serbia said on Wednesday it would utilize all possible
political and diplomatic means to maintain the
country's territorial integrity in the wake of
Kosovo's declaration of independence. "Serbia's
internationally recognized borders have been
unilaterally violated," Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic
told a news conference.
The U.S., Australia, and several leading European
countries, including France, Italy and Germany have so
far recognized Kosovo, while Russia, China and Spain
have condemned the independence move.
Jeremic said his country would block Kosovo's
admission to the UN, the Council of Europe and the
OSCE and take political and economic action against
states acknowledging its independence. He also
indicated that Serbia's relations with countries
recognizing Kosovo's independence could be
jeopardized.
The U.K. appointed its first ambassador to the
self-proclaimed republic earlier on Wednesday a day
after Serbs destroyed border posts between Serbia and
the "world's newest state."
Serbian News Network - SNN
news@antic.org
http://www.antic.org/
