Reuters UK
Dec 5 2007

Russia’s Lavrov says West blocking Kosovo talks

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Western support for Kosovo’s independence is
blocking further talks on the future of the breakaway Serbian
province, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Lavrov described as "positive" the fact that Serbia, which opposes
Kosovo’s full independence, presented compromise proposals at talks
with Kosovo Albanians last month.

"We should only like to see Pristina moving in the same direction,"
he told a news conference after talks with his Armenian counterpart.

"Unfortunately the possibility of such movement is blocked by our
Western partners who say that Kosovo’s independence is inevitable."

Lavrov said Russia will decide its next steps on Kosovo in the U.N.
Security Council once the troika of mediators, which includes the
United States and the European Union, presents its report on December
10.

"Our actions will be based on the firm ground of international law,
including U.N. Security Council resolutions," Lavrov said.

"We assume that the United Nations — its secretary-general — will
strictly adhere to the U.N. charter and its resolutions, which
currently define the framework of the Kosovo settlement," he added.

Russia, a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member, has said it
will only back a decision on Kosovo that would be acceptable to both
Belgrade and Kosovo itself.

(Writing by Oleg Shchedrov; editing by Andrew Dobbie)

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress