Foreign Minister of Serbia and Montenegro urges OSCE States to back "provisional solution" on Kosovo

VIENNA, 6 September 2005 -Serbia and Montenegro's Foreign Minister, Vuk Draskovic, called Tuesday for "compromise, compromise, compromise" in dialogue and negotiation over the future of Kosovo, in an address to a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council.

Minister Draskovic thanked the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro for its excellent work in his country.

Speaking about prospects for Kosovo, he said, "In Belgrade, we cannot envisage an agreement about the future status of Kosovo being reached without negotiation. But we are open for compromise, compromise, compromise, and we are for unconditional dialogue."

Minister Draskovic was addressing the Permanent Council 15 months after his last appearance in Vienna and before the widely-expected publication of the report by the UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for the Comprehensive Review of Kosovo, Kai Eide.

He also repeated Belgrade's positions towards the future of Kosovo under a formula defined as "more than autonomy, less than independence" with a "European quality" to be given to the region, which would include a "European level" of protection for Serbs in Kosovo.