EU urges consensus on Kosovo

Cristina Gallach, EU security chief Javier Solana’s spokeswoman, said Tuesday (July 3rd) that Brussels wants a consensus on Kosovo status to be reached as soon as possible. Speaking to Serbian state TV, she said the bloc favours quick UN Security Council adoption of a new resolution based on former UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s blueprint, which calls for supervised independence. “The Balkans’ future depends on Europe, not Russia,” local media quoted her as saying, in reference to Moscow’s opposition to the Ahtisaari plan. She added that the EU would take the responsibility and decide on Kosovo if Russia continues its opposition, though she stressed that any EU move would depend on the Security Council’s consent.Separately, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya said the Security Council would wait for Russia and the United States to overcome their differences on Kosovo before taking new steps.