UNMIK/PR/1562
PRISTINA – The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo (SRSG) Søren Jessen-Petersen today visited Skopje where he met the Macedonian Prime Minister Vlado Bučkovski. He later travelled to Tetovo to meet the President of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) and coalition partner in the Government, Ali Ahmeti. The SRSG told his interlocutors that he has witnessed good progress in the political situation and standards implementation in Kosovo, particularly since Prime Minister Agim Çeku took office. However, whereas the Kosovo Albanian leadership is working hard to address the concerns of the Kosovo Serbs, the latter's continued non participation in the political processes in Kosovo makes it difficult to improve their condition. The SRSG exchanged views with the Macedonian leaders on the way forward in the context of the ongoing status negotiations and its significance from the regional perspective.
Addressing a joint press point with Prime Minister Bučkovski after their meeting, the SRSG said, "The next six months are crucial for Kosovo and for the region. The Contact Group has made it very clear that any settlement for Kosovo must be acceptable to the majority in Kosovo. On the other hand, the Kosovo Albanians fully understand that they must make the status settlement acceptable also for the
minorities."
"Kosovo needs clarity of status, the region needs clarity of status, and the region needs to move forward on its European future. To settle Kosovo sooner rather than later will be conducive to regional stabilization", he added.
Prime Minister Bučkovski reaffirmed his government's commitment to continue playing a constructive role in supporting the ongoing process and stressed that it is important that the status settlement is reached before the end of this year.
The SRSG and the Prime Minister expressed their satisfaction with the excellent state of bilateral relations between Skopje and Pristina. The SRSG's scheduled trip to Tirana today, as also his planned meeting with the Macedonian President in Ohrid, had to be cancelled on account of inclement weather conditions.