UN Secretary-General welcomes potential dialog between Kosovo and Serbia

UN Secretary-General welcomes potential dialog between Kosovo and Serbia

2010-11-05 03:44:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-moon on Thursday welcomed the European Union's readiness to facilitate dialog between Kosovo and Serbia in order to achieve, once and for all, peace in the troubled region.

Ban said that he hoped that a dialog will help to consolidate peace, stability and reconciliation in the two countries. On September 9, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution jointly sponsored by Serbia and 27 EU member States that acknowledged the content of advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July.

The opinion concluded that Kosovo unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 did not violate general international law, a 1999 Security Council resolution following the end of armed conflict in Kosovo, or the constitutional framework adopted by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on behalf of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

"I am pleased that the text of the resolution adopted was based on agreement between Serbia and the European Union, thus creating the conditions for this process to move forward in the context of the European perspective for the region," Ban said in his report on Kosovo.

Ban expects that the dialog will open a new phase in the Kosovo-Serbia relations and will build confidence between the sides. the Secretary-General called for a quick beginning of such process and added that the dialog will lead to the resolution of issues that affect peace in both nations.

"I continue to urge the sides to exercise restraint and adopt a measured, constructive approach in order to avoid further escalations in northern Kosovo. The support of the members of the Security Council for the efforts of UNMIK there, and their unequivocal messages to the sides to avoid unilateral actions that could lead to the escalation of tensions, will remain crucial."

The UN Secretary-General said that the UNMIK is ready to hand over functions in northern Kosovo to a legitimate and accepted structure as local authorities and media have criticized the continuing presence of UNMIK in northern Kosovo.

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