U.N. Kosova’s administrator visits Albania

TIRANA, Oct. 17 – Kosova’s top United Nations official Joachim Ruecker made an introductory visit to Albania on Tuesday saying that he is convinced that the Contact Group and the U.N. special envoy Martti Ahtisaari would resolve Kosova’s final status this year. Ruecker said that resolving the ‘last puzzle in the Balkans’ would serve peace and stability in the region. Ruecker met with all top Albania officials, including President Alfred Moisiu, Prime Minister Sali Berisha and opposition Socialist leader Edi Rama. Ruecker thanked Albania’s constructive role in facilitating the status process during his visit to the country as `the last` U.N. administrator in the province. “We both have full faith in the Contact Group and special envoy Martti Ahtisaari that they will find an early solution to the status … that everything will be done for the solution in 2006,” said Ruecker after meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
President Moisiu said in the meeting with Ruecker, “Our stand is that Kosova’s independence is the fairest solution that would generate peace and stability for the whole region and wider.”
Status talks, led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, started early this year but have yet to produce results, with the Serb’s rejecting calls by the ethnic Albanian majority for full independence. Kosova has been run by the United Nations and NATO since a 1999 war. Ahtisaari was expected to report to the U.N. Security Council by the end of the year on a possible solution to Kosova’s future; however, he warned last week that there was no negotiated deal in sight.
Ruecker repeated that the Contact Group for Kosova, which includes the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia, have sought to wrap up talks on the province’s future by the end of the year. “We are confident that all stakeholders are conscious that we’ll have a good solution soon,” said Ruecker.
Berisha also repeated his accusation against Belgrade regretting Belgrade’s ‘unrealistic” stand on Kosova. He said that resolving Kosova’s status would also be helping and would serve the interests of democratic forces and Serbia in general. “Albania is convinced that full respect of the freedom and rights of the Kosova Serbs and this country’s independence are a precondition for peace and stability in the region,” said Berisha.
Albania has naturally supported Kosova’s independence but it has always said it has no territorial claims and does not intend to change its border. “I hope that the solution of the final status will be a work between the international community and Kosova authorities and it will not create new quarrels in the Western Balkans,” said Berisha.
Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafaj said that Albania is prepared to deal with a new country, Kosova, next year and has prepared many agreements that should normally be signed. “For a year we have started preparations for Kosova’s post-status because we have been convinced that Kosova’s final status will be independence,” said Mustafaj at a news conference after meeting with Ruecker.