[ Kosova-o ]

EU-representative Wolfgang Ischinger points out the importance of "listening" and "talking":

I don't want to speculate about the details of the process, but I think it will be very important not to lose sight of the basic principle of negotiation – not only to speak but also to listen. We must start by allowing those whose destiny is being decided to speak. I will therefore propose that we first talk to the parties in a format in which they give us their view of the situation. These statements will then determine how we proceed, as the decisions will not be made by myself or by the EU but always by all sides together.

US envoy Frank Wisner pointed out in an interview with RFE/RL on 3 August that the Ahtisaari package is the "central building block":

"President Ahtisaari's negotiation was enormously important, was carefully done, his conclusions had the broadest possible support, including from my government. He has defined the path forward for the protection of minority communities, he has set up the terms for international supervision. All of these points are there and they are important.

We do not have to go back, review and revisit. His work is the central building block. Now the parties will have one last chance to see how they want to go forward."

For Russian envoy Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko the Ahtisaari plan has "failed". Here an extract of a Tanjug article from yesterday:

14:49 MOSKVA, 8. avgusta (Tanjug) - Ruski predstavnik u posrednickoj "trojci" za Kosovo i Metohiju Aleksandar Bocan-Harcenko izjavio je danas da je plan specijalnog izaslanika UN Martija Ahtisarija propao i da tokom nastavka pregovora "nece biti oslanjanja na njega".

Ahtisarijev plan je propao, nije dobio podršku u Savetu bezbednosti UN i na pregovorima nece biti oslanjanja na njega. Doneta je odluka da pregovore vodi ''trojka", rekao je Bocan-Harcenko agenciji Itar-Taš.

Ruski diplomata je pred sutrašnji sastanak Kontakt grupe u Londonu rekao da ce biti "razmotreni pregovori Beograda i Prištine o statusu Kosova".

"Ocekujemo konkretan i detaljan razgovor o tome kako pomoci i organizovati taj proces i kako doprineti dostizanju sporazumnog rešenja, koje jedino i može biti usvojeno u SB UN", rekao je Bocan-Harcenko.

Photo source: Tanjug