Gonzalo Gallegos, Director of Press
Relations
Washington, DC
During the past 130 days of negotiations, the EU/U.S./Russia Troika of negotiators explored every realistic option for an agreement and, in their words, "left no stone unturned" in the search for a mutually-acceptable outcome. The Troika's mandate ends today with the submission of a report on their efforts to the U.N. Secretary-General. The United States regrets that leaders from Serbia and Kosovo did not reach agreement on the status of Kosovo during these talks.
At the beginning of this period of intensive engagement we stated that, if the parties could not reach agreement by December 10, then the plan put forward by UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari, including his recommendation of supervised independence for Kosovo and package of measures to protect Kosovo's minorities, was the best way forward. We continue to believe that implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan will promote stability in the region and enable both Serbia and Kosovo to move forward on the Euro-Atlantic path. Over the next few weeks the United States will work closely with our international partners to resolve this issue. The people of Kosovo and the region urgently need clarity about their future.
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