Kosovo: UN envoy meets senior Serbian officials in Belgrade

The United Nations envoy to Kosovo travelled to Belgrade today to meet with two senior Serbian Government ministers for talks on resolving the dispute over Kosovo’s status.

A spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the purpose of Lamberto Zannier’s introductory meetings with Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Kosovo Minister Goran Bogdanovic in Belgrade was to move forward with dialogue on the practical issues that Mr. Ban had highlighted in his last special report to the Security Council.

Mr. Zannier is set to travel to New York where, on Friday, he will present the Secretary-General’s regular report on Kosovo to the Council.

Earlier this month Mr. Ban said that the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) had to adjust to the new reality on the ground, given the developments since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in February.

The Secretary-General said he had decided to move forward with the reconfiguration of the structure and profile of UNMIK. Accordingly, he had instructed the mission to cooperate with the European Union (EU), so it could assume an enhanced operational role in the rule of law area under a UN “umbrella” headed by his Special Representative, in line with the original 1999 resolution that established the mission.

Mr. Ban said that UNMIK would continue to support Kosovo in its effort to consolidate democratic governance institutions, advance economic growth and move towards a future in Europe as part of the western Balkans.