Vuk Draskovic
28 September 2005 -- The foreign minister of Serbia and Montenegro, Vuk Draskovic, said today that talks on the future of the contested Kosovo province will start in December.
Draskovic said the UN-mediated talks will be held in Vienna. He made the comments in Belgrade after returning from a visit to the United States.
The UN has administered Kosovo since 1999 when a NATO air war forced Serbian forces to end a crackdown on the majority ethnic Albanians in the province. The ethnic Albanians demand independence, while Serbs insist Kosovo remains part of Serbia.
The UN has set out a list of standards on human rights, security, law, and democracy that Kosovo must show it is trying to meet before the issue of its eventual status can be taken up. UN special envoy Kai Eide is expected next week to report on how far Kosovo has come in reaching those standards.
(AP)
See also:
Interview With U.S. Mission Head About Kosovo Status Issue
For more information about Serbia-Montenegro and Kosovo, see RFE/RL's webpage "News and Features on Serbia and Montenegro"
The UN has administered Kosovo since 1999 when a NATO air war forced Serbian forces to end a crackdown on the majority ethnic Albanians in the province. The ethnic Albanians demand independence, while Serbs insist Kosovo remains part of Serbia.
The UN has set out a list of standards on human rights, security, law, and democracy that Kosovo must show it is trying to meet before the issue of its eventual status can be taken up. UN special envoy Kai Eide is expected next week to report on how far Kosovo has come in reaching those standards.
(AP)
See also:
Interview With U.S. Mission Head About Kosovo Status Issue
For more information about Serbia-Montenegro and Kosovo, see RFE/RL's webpage "News and Features on Serbia and Montenegro"