GRANTING KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE CANNOT BE PRECEDENT FOR SEPARATIST REGIMES WORLDWIDE: JAVIER SOLANA

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 2 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend A.Gasimova / High Representative for
the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, Dr.

Javier Solana, believes that granting Kosovo independence cannot be
a precedent for separatist regimes in different countries, including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

"The Kosovo issue is a special case that cannot be compared to any
other region," Solana said in an interview for Trend. According
to him, there is the historical context of Yugoslavia’s violent and
non-consensual break-up, as well as the massive violence and repression
that took place in Kosovo in the period up to and including 1999. There
is also the unique situation of the extended period of international
administration under the UN resolution 1244, where Kosovo has basically
been run by UNMIK since 1999. These specifics have been acknowledged
by the Contact Group, which also includes Russia.

Solana said that it is regrettable that an agreement could not be
reached within the United Nations Security Council. "I think that the
best way forward now is to give negotiations another chance. This is
also what the EU ministers agreed at their meeting on 23 July. But
I want to be clear on the fact that these negotiations should not be
open-ended. There should be a time limit of more or less 120 days,"
the Commissar emphasized.

"I would therefore appeal to Belgrade and Pristina to engage actively
and constructively in this final round of negotiations. The EU wants
to move this process forward and find a lasting solution to the
Kosovo status. We are determined to remain united on this issue in
support of European interests, notably the stability and prosperity
and European future of the Balkans," Solana stated.